


In the Falling Snow

by LittleGhost1837



Category: X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2018-07-06
Packaged: 2019-04-26 14:37:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 26,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14404200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleGhost1837/pseuds/LittleGhost1837
Summary: Marie is lost in the Canadian wilderness, running from her powers and her past. Exhausted by cold and hunger she is found by Logan who is living in self-imposed exile after his volatile character has caused too much friction and fear among the X-Men. Stuck together in a small log cabin, can the two unlikely companions learn to get along and help each other face their demons and look to their future instead of their past? Action, adventure, romance and cliches all wrapped up in one crazy story! Rated M for violence and eventual adult content (nothing too graphic, rating is on the safe side!)





	1. Desolation

**Author's Note:**

> I haven’t written anything like this in years so please be kind! I hope you enjoy the story, please leave a review or comment if you do! The whole thing has been written, just not divided in to chapters yet so I’m not sure exactly how long it will be once posted.

The snow was falling thick and fast, like icy pieces of cotton floating through the air. Marie had never been anywhere this cold. The pine trees around her seemed more like icicles than living matter and with every step she was convinced that the bible had it wrong about hell having anything to do with fire. No, hell was the cold wastelands of Alberta: beautiful and breathtakingly impressive in their own way but deadly and terrifying too. 

Loneliness enveloped her like a dark shroud and she had never felt more isolated than she did now aimlessly wandering in the snow, her feet sinking in to the deceptive white surface with every desperate attempt to move. She was lost and alone and hungry, she wanted to scream. Her long dark green coat had once felt long and comforting, now it just felt heavy and weighed her down. Her boots were reliable and solid, firmly laced and capable of coping in any weather but snow had made its way through the eyelets and she could feel her feet become more and more numb. 

She'd stolen a car a few hundred miles back, but it had given up on her in the middle of nowhere. She'd waited for hours for someone to drive past, anyone, but no one had. So she'd started to walk. She thought she had been walking back towards the nearest town, taking a shortcut through the woods, but now accepted that she must've gotten her bearings wrongs. A fear had crept in to the corner of her mind, vivid and frightening. Was this all her life was worth? Is this truly how she would die, alone and frozen to death in the middle of Canada with no one to miss her and no one to remember her?

As the time passed, it seemed more and more likely. She was a strong woman, but completely exhausted. Her body felt heavy and all she wanted was to sleep. Maybe if she rested under one of the trees? She could gather her strength and things would get better. Sleep seemed like a wonderful idea, she felt as if though she hadn't slept in weeks. Her legs were so heavy, the snow was so deep... 

She stumbled and fell in to a heap of snow. It was freezing cold, but she could hardly feel it anymore. She lay still, too weary to keep moving. This was it then. Death by exhaustion in a cold dark forest. Maybe it wasn't so bad. After all what the fuck had she ever done to deserve any better? The voices in her head started whispering to her one by one, god, there were so many by now. She let her eyes fall shut and thought it was all quite peaceful. With a deep breath and a moment of focus she silenced the voices and gave in to the exhaustion. There was nothing left for her in life anymore. 

****  
Months at Xavier's had made him more agitated than he'd realised. The children, the constant noise... the missions were fine, he revelled in the action, but never having his own peace and quiet had made him weary. He had become more irritable than usual, and was beginning to get snappy at everyone, even Jean. Jean hadn't been impressed at his last outburst.

"You're nothing but an angry little man Logan! Why even stay here if you're going to keep on harassing everyone like this?" Her words had hit a raw nerve in him. Why stay? She clearly didn't want him to. He wasn't fit for human company, and there was nothing anyone could say that would convince him otherwise.

"Logan, perhaps you ought to take some time off. A holiday of sorts if you will. You will always be welcome here, but perhaps it is time for you to..." Xavier struggled putting it diplomatically. "To shove off?" "Well I wouldn't put it quite like that. It's just that some of our students have grown more frightened of you than usual, and even some of your fellow X-men have come to feel similarly." The professor spoke slowly, doing his best not to arouse Logan's temper.

"I'd never hurt anyone here." He felt ashamed that it even needed to be said. What was he? A man, or a feral monster, a beast hell bent on destruction and chaos. The final nail in his coffin had been an altercation with Scott after a mission. That man had managed to push all the right buttons to get a rise out of him, only this time things had gotten out of hand. 

"You're reckless Logan! You might be indestructible but the rest of us don't have that luxury." Scott was right, but there was no need to scold him like a school boy. 

" Shut it bub." He'd growled. "I mean it Logan, you can't behave this way mission after mission, you could've gotten any one of us killed!" Scotts voice had started to get louder as his agitation grew.

"You're nothing but a pompous, arrogant kid one-eye. What the hell do you know about fighting guys like this? My strategy worked!" Logan was shorter than Scott but despite his stature he was an intimidating man and doubly so when provoked. 

Push came to shove, Scott reacted too slowly and Logan had unsheathed his claws and pointed them dangerously close to Scott's face. Caught off guard, Scott had received a punch in the jaw and a cut on his cheek which could've become something much worse.

"Logan, enough!" The professors voice thundered in his head and he backed off. Still angry, but also mortified. Everyone on the team had seen him lose control but only when fighting seriously dangerous opponents during a mission, and never from being provoked by mere criticism. The verdict had been obvious, he was a loose cannon and until he could reign in the beast it was better to go somewhere where it couldn't harm anyone else. 

The cabin was small, and barely furnished. It had belonged to a logger decades ago, but Logan had slept in worse conditions and with a quick dust off and some heat from the old camp stove in the corner, it was almost comfortable. The bed was little more than a box but with some reinforcements it was sturdy enough to take the weight of his metal frame. At least here he couldn't harm anyone. 

He'd brought with him enough provisions to last for several weeks and didn't mind the long drive to get some more if it became necessary. He didn't know how long he'd be staying, but there was every chance of weeks turning in to months and who knows, maybe longer if Xavier didn't care about his return. Maybe there always would be a place for him at the mansion, crazy or not, but he couldn't take the risk of endangering any of its inhabitants. 

He'd already been away for three weeks, looking for places to stay and travelling further and further away from people. He'd hunted, even considered another cage fight of two to make a few quick bucks but decided against it. That life had lost its appeal. 

Looking out of the cabin windows he saw the snow fall down at a faster and faster rate each day but today was by far the worst. The cold had never bothered him much, but he'd still thrown on his heavy coat, and even grabbed gloves before opening the door to survey his surroundings better. The snow had covered everything and if it continued like this there was every chance he'd be snowed in soon.

He'd already made sure there was enough firewood, food and water to make it for a while if he did get stuck but it probably wouldn't come to that. He shut the cabin door behind him and took a deep breath. The pine trees, the animals, even the snow had a scent, but there was something there he hadn't expected. He inhaled again. A woman, he was positive. Who the hell would be out walking in this kind of a storm? He was briefly tempted to let it be, but he knew he couldn't. It could be another mutant and not necessarily one of the good kind. Maybe Magneto had sent someone to track him down and dispatch him. He grinned wryly, they had another thing coming if they thought he'd go down so easily. 

He picked up the scent and after just minutes of walking through the heavy snow up and over the nearest small hill, he saw a heap of something dark green lying on the ground. It was easy to tell she wasn't even conscious anymore, her body was listless and limp.

He knelt down next to her figure and turned her around with ease. Her face was icy cold, but even with a blueish tint to her lips it was clear to see she was beautiful. Everything about her was striking, her lips, her jawline, her auburn hair. But there was no time to admire her now. She was suffering from hypothermia and badly. He crouched down and wedged his arms under her body, lifting her with a small effort. She didn't weight much at all, but it was never easy to lift an unconscious body, let alone carry one through feet of snow. The walk back to the cabin would not be fun.


	2. Introductions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the kudos and wonderful comments! I'm so happy there's an audience for this fic and I hope you enjoy this chapter too. Let me know what you think!

He'd been right. With an unconscious woman in his arms the walk through the deep snow hadn't exactly been a picnic, but after a little effort he finally made it back to the cabin. With some agile manoeuvring Logan managed to open the cabin door and place the woman on the small and unmade bed. She was freezing cold and his first priority was to get her warmed up as soon as possible. What kind of idiot went walking around in several feet of snow with no provisions and clearly no experience of having done this before? It was beyond stupid. 

Moving quickly, Logan built up a roaring fire in the camp stove and boiled some water on the stove top. He needed to warm her up but not too suddenly, and he needed to get her out of those damp and freezing clothes. 

Luckily he was an expert in particularly the latter task and in no time he'd peeled off her coat, her sweatshirt and the long green gloves that covered her arms all the way past her elbows. In minutes he'd taken off all but one layer of clothing that covered her cold body. In other circumstances he would have quite happily had a woman in his bed, but these were not the usual circumstances and this woman was in no fit state to be thought of as nothing but a piece of ass. Besides, he'd seen his share of naked bodies in his time and there was no reason to suspect she'd be different from any of the others.

He wrapped her up in a quilt and threw his large coat over her as an extra measure, then he began massaging her limbs and made a warm compress to heat her feet with. Luckily her extremities hadn't turned black yet, but she was still cold. Far too cold.

He touched her face and she stirred a little, the sign of life was a relief. "What's a broad like you doing out here all by yourself?" Logan wondered silently to himself. She hadn't been dressed for a hike and she was clearly not prepared for it either with no pack on her for food or water. Everyone had a story, he knew that much already, but what was hers?

She was physically fit, that much was apparent from the lean muscles he was struggling to warm up. This was a strong woman, but even the strongest of people could be brought down by enough ice and snow. On impulse, he stroked her face with the back of his hand and marvelled at the smooth porcelain skin. She was unusual looking and it was hard to exactly how old she was but Logan estimated she may have been in her late 20s. 

As he touched her face, she seemed to flinch and suddenly he felt a strange sensation in his fingers. An almost painful jolt, like a sudden burst of electricity coursed through his body and he felt her skin pull on his and it was with force that he managed to wrench his hand away from her face. In that moment her eyelids fluttered open, followed by her body suddenly sitting up in the bed. She looked panicked, confused and above all frightened. Her chestnut hair tumbled on to her face and shoulders and the peculiar white streak in it fell almost wholely on one side of her face. 

"Take it easy kid, everything's all right." Logan tried his best to come across as reassuring. Both Charles and Jean had remarked on his complete lack of bedside manner in the past and this time he didn't have his other team members to bail him out of trouble. Making the young woman feel comfortable and safe was up to him.

"You.... what am I doing here? How did you-- did you-- I don't understand." She looked at him, terrified and all too aware of her non existent clothing. 

"I found you out in the snow. You passed out from the cold and you're damn lucky I did find you, you were pretty close to dying lady." He'd turned his back to her and rubbed his hands together in front of the camp stove.

"My clothes, I don't understand..." He could smell the anxiety dripping from her pores and felt almost sorry for her. He knew he wasn't the kind of man who looked friendly or even entirely reliable and really couldn't blame her for feeling the way she did.

"Your clothes were damp, kept you too cold so I took them off. You'd probably have died if I hadn't wrapped you up in all my blankets." He knew he was coming across as defensive, but the whole situation was awkward. 

"You touched me?" She asked, and he turned around with a mixture of amusement and irritation apparent in his voice. "It would've been a bit tricky to undress you without doing that. But I only did to help you out." There it was again, defense and aggression rearing their ugly heads. 

"But I'm-- are you... alright?" She was now visibly concerned and more confused than ever. Right. So her skin was dangerous somehow, and she was very clearly a mutant. "I'm fine kid. You gave me a bit of a zap, but it's nothing I can't handle." that was the truth, he'd recovered too quickly for the strange occurrence to have much of an effect on him. 

"I'm sorry." She tucked her knees up to her chin and made herself small, curling in to the cabin wall. 

"Told you kid, I'm fine. How're you feeling?" Logan knew he was coming across as gruff and blunt in his responses but he just couldn't help himself. "I feel fine. Better than I probably should I guess. It's like I've just healed for no reason..." her voice drifted off and she looked straight in to his eyes. 

"Is that.... is that because of you?" she asked, unsure of how direct to be. Some mutants had tried to be public about their abilities, but it hadn't been going well lately. There was no knowing who was comfortable talking about their mutations and who wasn’t, but Logan did not seem like a talkative man in general. He cocked an eyebrow in response.

”Healing? Is that your... gift?" It was a subtle way of trying to ask him what he was sure she already knew. "One of them. I know you're a mutant too kid, I can put two and two together.” he smirked. Marie blushed and fidgeted nervously with edge of the blanket, pulling it up to her chin. "My skin is... weird. I absorb things, other people's mutations and stuff." she hated trying do describe it. Explaining that the slightest touch could potentially lead to sucking the life out of him was awkward to say the least. “I’d rather you didn’t tell anybody. About me I mean, what I can do.”

Logan shrugged, he'd seen worse. "Don't worry, I'm about as mutated as it gets, I haven't got any reason to blab about you and your talents if you stay shut about mine. Deal?" She nodded silently feeling a little more comfortable about his company. 

He reorientated his gaze back to the camp stove, there was no need to make her feel more vulnerable than she already did by leering at her like a lecherous old man. "Are my clothes dry yet?" She was clearly self-conscious and Logan couldn’t blame her. After all they knew almost nothing about each other and the situation wasn’t exactly normal. Neither were either of them.

"Sorry, they'll be a while yet. I don't have a lot of clean clothes either but-- hmph." He grunted something unintelligible and looked in to one of the cupboards near the bed, all the while trying not to look at her. His green flannel shirt wasn't too repulsive, even though it could probably do with being washed. He'd only worn it a few times and it didn't have stains on it so it'd have to do. It'd look great on her. He suppressed the thought and wanted to punch himself, he had no right to be thinking about a poor defenceless girl like that. She needed his help and he was going to help her. 

"There you go kid. It's not great but it's all I got for now." She smiled shyly. "Thanks." He turned his back to her and tried to give her what little privacy he could. "If you're cold, just throw my coat on, I used it to keep you warm anyway." In a few moments time she gave a tentative cough and he turned around to see her swamped in his flannel shirt with his heavy coat on her slim shoulders.

"My names Logan by the way." He'd never been good with introductions. "Marie." The name suited her somehow he thought. "So what're you doing up here, you're a long way from home aint you?" He had been able to distinguish a faint southern lilt in her accent every now and again, though it was obvious she'd been trying to get rid of it. "I was travelling. My car broke down and I thought I could make it to the next town a bit quicker going through the woods instead of following the road but I got lost I think." Travelling for fun at this time of year, this far north and without any supplies? He wasn't sold on her story but it seemed pointless to press her on the matter. He had a lot of secrets and it was okay for her to have some too as far as he was concerned. 

"Thanks. For finding me and all. Looking after me." Marie meant it. She was woefully inexperienced in hiking or almost anything else to do with nature and she knew the conditions had been dangerous, but she hadn't realised until it was too late that she was very likely in over her head. Logan nodded. "You're welcome kid, but I didn't do anything special. Anyone would've done the same." He didn't do well with praise in situations like these. He wasn't anyone’s hero, but Marie didn’t need to know about his more unsavoury habits. 

Suddenly Marie's stomach growled. The noise sounded loud and she felt keenly embarrassed. "You hungry kid?" He couldn't stop the grin from forming on his lips. "Yeah." she thought about it for a minute. "I can't remember the last time I had something to eat." she confessed. Logan turned to have a look in the kitchen, if you could call it that. The cupboards were mostly empty, but there was at least coffee, some jerky, a few tins of beans and a few crackers. The fridge wasn't much better. Beer, eggs and bacon. Not the pinnacle of health but he'd never had to worry about that much. "You want some coffee?" Jerky and coffee would have to do for starters he thought, after all if they did get snowed in they'd have to ration what he had. "Sure, thanks." Logan felt relieved. At least she was a coffee drinker, that would make both their lives easier. 

The atmosphere in the cabin continued to be awkward. Logan tried to busy himself by moving things around the room, but it was pointless. Eventually he sat down in the one not-broken chair by the cabin window, propping his feet up on the table and looking at the snow. The silence wasn't exactly comfortable. "It's still snowing isn't it?" Marie asked in a half hearted attempt to make conversation. "Yup." 

"I guess it's pretty cold out." She continued. “Yup."

It was clearly going to be a challenging next few days if she was going to have to stay. In silence, she turned on to her side and decided that sleep might be the best alternative at the moment. She didn’t know how long she stared at the wooden wall, but eventually she drifted to a dreamless sleep still feeling uneasy.

Marie woke up in darkness. It was hard to tell what time it was or even where she was. She realised three things instantly: she was half naked, sleeping on a hard surface and 100% not in a place she could call 'home'. It took her a moment before she remembered. Logan. She'd passed out in the snow and ended up at his cabin, wearing his clothes and with his voice in her head. 

Luckily, for both of them, he hadn't touched her for long, it must have been just seconds. She'd only absorbed his most immediate thoughts, not his memory as a whole or his personality. She could still hear him inside her head, "what's a broad like you doing out here all by yourself?" There was also a touch of something else, attraction? At least he thought she was good looking, that much she was sure of. It could've been worse. There had been no thoughts of... doing things to her, nothing weird or what her grandmother would've called "untoward". So far he'd been kind to her despite the fact she was somewhat in the way and she wondered if he'd let her stay for maybe another day. Even though he wasn't talkative it was nice to have some company. It was hard to form an opinion of him because he was clearly guarded and fell very easily in to the "dark and brooding" category, but at least he didn't seem like a total perv and at least he hadn't thrown her out after the whole creepy-skin incident. 

Tentatively she placed on foot on the cold cabin floor. She was thirsty and decided the cold floor wasn't too much of an obstacle in obtaining some water or cold coffee from the counter. At least Logan was presumably still asleep, so she didn't have to worry about her bare legs. Low levels of light were creeping in through the windows and Marie could just about make out the outlines of the counter and the fridge. One creepy skin- incident was quite enough for now, so it was just as well she couldn't see Logan around, whenever her skin was exposed it made her nervous, even if she was on her own. 

Marie stretched gently as she stood up and took a few steps towards the counter when she realised she'd stepped on something soft. Suddenly, something grabbed her leg and with a yelp she landed on her back on the hard wooden floor. There was a small sound, almost like someone flicking open a switchblade and Marie's heart was thumping. Her eyes widened with terror. 

Hovering right in front of her face were three sharp blades which glinted in the early morning light. She gasped when she realised they were not the usual kind: each blade was attached to something and after blinking once or twice she realised the unnerving fact that they protruded out from between the knuckles of an otherwise human hand. Logan. There was no recognition in his eyes, just an animalistic glow and she felt like a hunted down rabbit in the claws of a wolf. She was terrified and couldn't hide it.


	3. Moonlight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go folks, chapter 3 for your enjoyment! Chapter 4 is looking to be the longest one so far and will go up latest tomorrow. As usual, please comment if you like it or have any feedback :)

He snapped awake as he’d been shocked by a strong electric current. Without thinking, he’d instinctively flipped his assailant over and established that he had the upper hand. They were after him again, how many were they? He pinned the unknown threat to the found with his left arm, ready to skewer them with the razor sharp claws of his right hand. Strangely enough this soldier wasn’t in uniform, the fabric covering them was more like soft flannel. In fact, it smelled strangely like him.

“Logan…” 

The haze dissipated from his mind and instead of a threat she saw a young woman, vulnerable and terrified. Slowly claws retracted back in to his hand and he looked at her in confusion, still crouching over her body trapping her in place. "Jesus kid. You-- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to--" Logan stammered. No apology in the world could make up for this. Fuck his paranoia.

Marie cut him off. "Get away from me." she whispered shakily, her heart still pounding in her chest. She tried to carefully slide away from him on the floor avoiding all contact with his body, but she couldn't get away from underneath him without putting them both at risk. He might have put away his claws but the circumstances were still dangerous. Why didn’t he just roll over?

"I didn't mean to scare you. I'm not gonna hurt you kid." He sounded hurt and frustrated with himself. Marie flinched at his nearness. "Get off me!" She pleaded. "Look, kid, I'm not some--" he was trying to explain, trying to reassure her, but she interrupted him. 

“For God’s sake! You— I might hurt you! My skin... you're not wearing a shirt, I don't have my jeans." Marie explained, exasperated. How did he not understand? She was lying still on the cold wooden floor, terrified to move a muscle. This was bad, real bad. 

The moon was shining brightly in the clear night sky and the slim beams made their way through the pine trees and in to the small cabin, lighting up his body which was nothing short of impressive. As if pulled to her like a magnet, he still made no sign of moving. Marie couldn't help but notice that Logan was immaculately sculpted and clearly very strong. He had the body of someone who could've been an athlete, and despite the weirdness and danger of the situation she thought that at least physically he was remarkably attractive. Her mind was travelling down an unlikely and dangerous path and she chastised herself inwardly for her own ridiculousness. Why was he still not moving away?

She squeezed her eyes shut, willing her body to stay completely still. It had been a long time since she'd been this close to anyone, but this was hardly the right time and place to feel . She wasn't sure if it was the adrenaline from the immediate danger of skin contact or the simple nearness of his exposed muscles so close to her own body which was making her blood rush through her veins and her heart pound in her ears. 

“Logan? Let go of me, please.” she whispered nervously.

Without a word he rolled to his side, taking extra care to not touch her. He picked up his shirt from the floor and slipped it on. “Jesus Christ.” he muttered under his breath, angry at himself for his useless behaviour. He hadn’t even realised he was still pinning her down. “I’m sorry kid. I didn't mean to scare you." He said again. Damn it Logan, what a way to frighten the living daylights outta the girl, he told himself. He'd smelt the fear on her, the agitation and nervousness betrayed by the change in her scent and the sound of her heart thudding in her chest. Why the hell hadn’t he moved away the second she asked him to? 

"I just got up for some water or something. I didn’t mean to step on you. How come you didn't get cold, sleeping on the floor like that?" Marie took the few steps necessary back to the bed and covered her legs with the blanket and talked .out of sheer nervousness. "The cold doesn't really bother me. That's why I don’t mind it up here." He'd spent so much time in the wild, more feral than human that he hardly felt the intense cold even with his adamantium laced bones. He passed a water bottle to her from the small fridge and she nodded in acceptance. "Just put in on the bed." Logan did and sat down on the chair, keeping his distance.

It was the first time anyone had shied away from him because of not wanting to hurt him rather than being afraid of what he might do to them. She had every reason to be scared of him now, she'd stepped on his arm and woken him up suddenly, the feral instincts and immediately defensive side of him kicking in before he'd had time to assess the situation. 

He'd seen that look in her eyes so many times before. People who'd come face to face with the beast, the Wolverine, and had become paralysed with fear. He could still smell it in the air, her natural reaction to what he'd done. She was lucky he hadn't immediately sliced in to her. He could still make out her quickened heartbeat, the cabin was so small that he could hear almost every sound in it and after weeks of being on his own he was finding her presence more frustrating by the minute.

"So. Your claws. Are they a part of your mutation?" It was a blunt question but not an unreasonable one. "Sorta. They were attached to me. I had claws before but they were bone. My healing factor made me a candidate for a military trial, they grafted my entire skeleton with metal and landed me with these things at the same time." He didn't know why he was giving this young woman he barely knew such an in depth answer, but for some reason it just came out. Honesty and Logan didn't usually go together all that well. 

"What about you? Can't control it I guess?" She shook her head. "Not really. Sometimes I've tried and once or twice it's worked for a little while but then something always happens and it comes straight back." Marie’s voice was still a little shaky and he could tell she was doing her very best to keep her nervousness under wraps.

Shit. Thinking about her words he realised instantly how terrible her situation was. She could never touch anyone without the fear of injuring them. "I'm sorry." The words came out before he could stop them. It was weird, not like he had anything to be sorry about and yet he was. A girl with her condition had definitely gotten the tougher deal in terms of natural mutations. He had immortality, she had a life sucking skin condition. He furrowed his brow in thought.

She shrugged. “It’s not a big deal. Just my life I guess.” 

Marie looked at Logan's face and studied it for a moment. He seemed almost constantly serious, his brows were set somewhere between a frown and a scowl and his mouth was often just a severe straight line. He was a gruff man, but handsome, even with the unusual sideburns and wild hair. Like someone from an old western or something, Marie thought. He looked to be around forty or maybe even older, but it was hard to tell. Either way he was a good looking man and even with the freaky claws there was something about him that intrigued her. 

He noticed her staring and cocked an eyebrow, she diverted her eyes and looked at the pattern on the blue and green blanket which covered her legs. In the moonlight everything looked different. Marie felt strangely unlike herself. She wasn't usually this shy around anyone, not even if she was nervous around them. Being stuck in this cabin was clearly affecting her brain in ways she didn’t agree with. Maybe it was the moonlight, maybe she was suffering from cabin fever, but everything seemed off.

"Go back to sleep, it's still early." Logan said more gruffly than he'd intended to. He began building a fire in the stove and Marie turned to face the wall again. Eventually she succumbed to her fatigue and fell in to a restless sleep.

****  
Rays of bright winter sun finally disturbed her enough to wake her up. It smelled like coffee and bacon and Marie smiled contentedly. 

"Logan?" she sat up in the bed and rubbed her sleepy eyes. "Mornin'." he replied flatly. 

”Are my clothes dry yet?" She asked, feeling like a child for the amount of looking after she seemed to need. Logan grunted something resembling a 'yes' and placed her dried clothes and shoes on the bed. He threw on his coat and opened the cabin door and stepped out in to the cold air without another word. "Guess you're not feeling very social today..." Marie mumbled out loud.

The door slammed shut and Marie threw the blankets off her body and gingerly stepped back on the cold floor. She glanced out of the window, but couldn't see Logan and moved towards the camp stove. Her clothes were warm after drying in front of it for the entire night and she sighed with relief as she discovered that practically everything was dry as well. Layer by layer she put on her outfit and with every moment felt more like herself. Finally as she laced her boots and pulled on her gloves she felt better than she had since waking up in the cabin post-hypothermia. She tied her hair back in a ponytail, the white streaking forming a solid block of contrasting colour down the middle of her chestnut brown hair. It was the one byproduct of her mutation that she liked. 

A heavy knock on the door let her know that Logan was getting tired of waiting. "Come on in!" She shouted. He opened the door and brushed off the snow from his coat. Once he turned around he was surprised to say the least, not that he let it show. 

The girl who just moments ago had been cowering in his bed looking frazzled and small had morphed in to someone else entirely.

"Hiya. So how far is it to the nearest town, d'ya know?" She asked nonchalantly. "Bout 17 miles or so. Through the forest." That was bad news for Marie and she felt her courage and confidence drop. Seventeen miles in a snow storm through a completely un-signposted forest with no supplies and nowhere near good enough clothing. It was a tough ask.

"How far is the road?" Maybe there was a chance of hitching a ride with someone is she got lucky. "Main Road is about five miles west of us." Her courage rose again, five miles didn't seem so bad. He raised an eyebrow as if he was judging her thoughts. "You won't make it kid, there's no way." She wasn't impressed at his lack of faith. 

"Why? I can easily walk five miles mister." He made a noise which sounded suspiciously like laughter. "Not in that snow." Marie was beginning to lose her cool. "Look, I can make it. I'm sure someone'll pick me up sooner or later and I can look after myself you know." She knew she was sounding like an angry teenager but she just couldn't help herself. It was infuriating to think he saw her as an invalid even now or worse, a useless slip of a girl. 

Marie threw her coat on, and opened the cabin door. The moment she did, she felt like a fool. The porch was several inches deep in snow. Logan must've cleared it a little, but the mounds of snow around the cabin would make walking away completely impossible. The snow would be waist deep on her at least and there was almost no way of being sure which way was which. She took a step back, turned around and sheepishly closed the door behind her. 

"You coulda told me it was that bad." You set me up, she thought, still fuming. "You didn't give me much of a chance." It didn't help that he sounded amused. “I'd quit laughing if I was you sugar. Looks like you're stuck with me for a few more days." Her tone was noticeably acerbic. 

Logan had already thought it over. It should've aggravated him more, after all he'd come this far north to get away from company not to make friends. Somehow he seemed almost pleased to have her there though. "I think we're stuck with each other kid." He smirked sardonically. She had poison skin, he was an animalistic killing machine. They made a hell of a pair.


	4. Stuck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go! Two chapters in one day, this fic is coming along nicely and I hope you continue to enjoy it. Please leave a comment if you have any feedback :)

The daylight hours were gone almost as quickly as they'd come. The cabin plunged in to darkness and he was glad to have had the foresight to bring a lantern and to stack up enough firewood to keep warm. He'd meant it when he said he didn't mind the cold but it was Marie he was worried about. She seemed to be constantly chilly and despite her protests he'd made her wear his flannel shirt on top of her own to make sure her temperature didn't start falling. "Pipe down kid and just take it." He'd said, leaving no room for arguments as he essentially shoved the shirt in her face. Begrudgingly she'd put the shirt on and he was secretly pleased. It really did look great on her. 

As the hours passed Marie was getting increasingly restless. She was fidgeting with her nails, pacing around the cabin and her frustration of being contained inside four walls was showing very clearly. Logan was beginning to rethink letting her stay, it seemed all too tempting to throw her out in to the snow. "Kid, sit your ass down and stop moving. For Christ sake you're driving me crazy!" The words came out louder than he'd intended. 

"I'm driving you crazy?! You're not exactly being mister social. I'm bored to death! Isn't there anything we can do in this stupid shack of yours?" She responded in kind. "It's a cabin! This is what they're supposed to be like!" he growled indignantly.

"Well I hate cabins! I didn't ask to be here, I didn't ask for you to come play the hero and bring me to this stupid place." She kicked the bed in frustration. "Don't kick my things! And what, would you rather be dead buried under ten feet of snow in a place where no one would ever find you? I can make that happen faster than you can snap your pretty little fingers!" he was dangerously close to making good on his threat. They’d barely made it through one day being snowed in and he’d already almost stabbed her once, a few more hours and he’d be sorely tempted to try again.

He'd stepped in front her and his broad shoulders and heavy frame seemed to tower over her lithe body. He was intimidating when he wanted to be, that much was for sure. "Don't threaten me mister, I can cause more damage with my pinky than you can imagine." Marie was very rarely tempted to use her powers out of her own free will but he was being irritating enough to make her forget the uncomfortable consequences that she would have to deal with afterwards.

"Try me, there's not a single thing that I've met in this world that can kill me, and don't think people haven't tried." She could feel his hot breath on her skin. "Screw you Logan." Marie spat out through gritted teeth. She pushed him further away, or at least tried to, before throwing herself on to the bed with an audible thud. Kicking off her boots she decided that she'd had enough of this day and thought she might try and sleep. Day one of being snowed in had not gone well. Logan sat down in a huff. No one spoke to him like that, he could tear her guts out in a flash if he felt like it. Under the layers of irritation and frustration he admired the young woman. She definitely had spunk.

"Hey kid?" He asked sometime later, knowing full well that Marie was only pretending to sleep. "Yeah?" she responded. ”You play cards?" “Yeah." She turned to face him. He motioned her over to the table. "Grab a seat, I'll deal."

The next few hours passed comfortably, a truce settling down between the two unlikely companions. They had playing cards, coffee, beer and food and the cabin itself was still staying warm enough to be comfortable. By the end of the night Logan found he was almost enjoying himself. She was fun to play with, though he was easily beating her in every game. 

"Come on Logan, that's not fair!" She exclaimed after her fifth straight loss. "What are you, some card sharp or somethin'?" He chuckled at her annoyance. "Nope. But I've got a few years of experience on you." With just about everything, he added to himself. She pursed her lips in concentration after he dealt out another hand and his mind got entirely sidetracked. 

Damn her lips were something else.... it had started bothering him again, having her at such close quarters after spending weeks in isolation. Her scent was everywhere in the cabin now, and the worst part was that shirt of his. It made her smell like him and he was finding hard to not let his imagination wander. She was far too pretty to wandering around any truck stop on her own, it didn't matter if she could take care of herself or not. 

For now she would be safe with him, even if he did have a damn good imagination. If he needed a cool down, he could always go dunk his head in the snow! But how long could this go on? What if they were snowed in for weeks? What he lost his self control and did something too terrible to even think about. For all his faults and his urges he'd never stooped low enough to force himself on a woman. He'd paid for sex, sure, but usually he'd managed to pick up someone who was ready and willing from the nearest dive bar in whatever town he'd been in. He wasn’t an animal, he could reign it in. He had to.

There had been a lot of bars, a lot of women, far too many to remember. He wasn't ashamed of it, it happened and that was all there was to it, but very few of his encounters had meant anything. Once or twice there'd been a woman who was harder to forget but through the years they'd all faded in his mind. The ones that meant something were usually the ones he hadn't managed to get in to his bed. 

Then there was Jean… He thought of her gorgeous green eyes and that luscious red hair she always played with when she was being deliberately flirty. Damn she was beautiful, he could never deny that. But in the end Jean had been a dream, a woman who was too good for him in so many ways. She'd been attracted to him for sure, maybe because compared to Scooter he was dangerous and exciting, but she'd never been willing to make the leap. Maybe that was for the better. Maybe they'd never have been happy together, he wouldn't have been the right kind of man to keep her happy in the long run. Scooter was the one any gal would be pleased to introduce to their parents, even with the laser eyes. Logan knew himself, he wasn’t the parent meeting type.

A shriek of enthusiasm shook him from his reverie. "Ha! Gotcha mister! Read 'em and weep!" Marie laid out her cards and it was clear she'd won. Logan smiled. She seemed so earnestly pleased, it didn't seem necessary to mention he hadn't been concentrating on the game in the least. "Fair enough kid." he conceded graciously. She leaned back in the chair and sipped her beer happily.

"Hey kid." He began. "Uh huh?" "Where were you headed?” he asked, trying to sound less interested than he actually was. "What's it matter to you?" It was obvious her back was up instantly. to his amusement she almost as easy to irritate as he was. "Only that there isn't much up this way, but I was thinking I could take you wherever you wanted to go." The offer was made in his usual off hand way, as if he didn't care about her reply, but Marie's eyes lit up. 

"Really? You sure you wouldn't mind? I can pay my way you know, give you some gas money and stuff, I don't wanna be a burden." She didn't want handouts and he understood exactly how she felt. "Don't worry about it, you can give me a few bucks if it makes you feel better, but I don't mind helpin' if I can." If he could take her somewhere she'd like, somewhere she'd be comfortable that was a reward in itself. He couldn't explain why it mattered to him but she deserved to be somewhere nice and he needed to help her. She was different from the other women he'd met. She seemed educated and was way too pretty, funny and smart to end up in a scummy town in the middle of fucking nowhere. 

"I don't really know where I wanna go... I just needed to leave. I was thinking if I came somewhere up here I could be on my own and maybe people wouldn't bother me so much." "I know exactly what you mean kid." For a moment they sat in silence.

"In my experience though, unless you wanna live out here in the sticks with no one around for miles, you don't wanna end up in a town that's too small or you'll stick out like a sore thumb. Somewhere a bit bigger, maybe Calgary?" Marie smiled slyly. "Sounds to me like you're speaking from experience." Logan raised an eyebrow. "I've had my reasons to disappear." 

There seemed to be an unspoken agreement between the two of them to not ask too many questions. Vague answers were enough, and neither Marie nor Logan wanted to reveal too much. After all, there was no reason to really get to know each other too well and he certainly didn’t want to share what little he knew about his life story. He got up and rummaged around in the kitchen, looking for something. With experienced gestures, stuck a cigar in his mouth and struck a match to light it.

"You mind?" Marie shook her head. "I kinda like the smell." Damn, why did she have to be so perfect? Marie swigged down the rest of her beer and headed over to bed, sat down and unlaced her boots. "I can take the floor tonight, it doesn't really seem fair for you to be on the floor again." She meant what she said and scooped up the blanket in her arms, prepared to make camp near the stove. 

"I don't mind the floor kid." Marie rolled her eyes and threw the blanket back on the bed. "I've slept on floors before you know, I'm not some delicate southern flower." She said, her boots falling on the floor with a heavy thud one after the other. “I’ve had to sleep in some pretty uncomfortable places. ”I'm sure you have, but it's my cabin, and my rules." Logan was firm on this, he was gonna treat her like a gal like her deserved to be treated. He blew out the flames in the lanterns and the cabin plunged in to darkness. Marie clambered under the covers without taking any of her clothes off. "Hey kid?" Logan grunted as he stretched himself out on the floor. "Yeah?" Marie mumbled in to the pillow. "Watch where you step tonight." She could hear the smirk in his voice, and giggled. "G'night Logan." She said quietly after settling down a bit. "Night kid." 

The next few days passed in the same way. Playing cards, talking a little and generally just trying to kill time. The problems began early one morning as Logan stood by the stove warming his hands. The firewood was running low and he knew he needed to go out for some more. Chopping down an entire tree was risky, but he could easily enough find something smaller or break off a few branches which could do the job for another few days. The food rations had run low as well. They were down to a few tins of beans, the last two bags of jerky and bourbon. Not exactly good enough for two adults. It had stopped snowing and he'd managed to clear the porch, with a bit more effort he could make a path to get some firewood but the food would still be an issue. The truck was stuck, no 4x4 would start up easily in this weather even it had been shielded with tarp like his was. He thought of his various options and tried to come up with a plan, but couldn’t settle on anything concrete. 

The morning had dawned as bright as usual and Marie groaned audibly. "Logan, it's real freezing this morning..." she complained with a shiver, knowing without looking at him that he’d already be awake. "Are we out of firewood or something?" He turned to face her and nodded. "Almost." She sat up pulling her knees to her chest causing the bed to creak loudly. "What're we gonna do? I'll help if there's anything I can do." She offered her help so easily, he mused. Every day she said or did something that endeared her to him even more. It was gonna be tough letting her go eventually. 

"It's alright kid. Eat somethin' and just sit tight. I'll be back soon as I can." He needed an outlet for his pent up… energy. Might as well do something useful at the same time. He lit a cigar, slipped on his coat and picked up the axe from the corner of the room. Marie had never seen a lumberjack in real life, but this was almost exactly what she'd imagined and he looked like a damn fine example of one. "I'll see you soon." She managed, hoping her appreciative gaze hadn't been too obvious. She poured herself a cup of coffee, grabbed a piece of jerky and waited.


	5. Red Snow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter so far and has some pretty graphic violence so be warned! That said I hope you enjoy the chapter, shit is about to get real! As usual please leave feedback if you enjoy it :)

Marie waited.

And waited. 

Minutes had turned in to hours and Marie had begun to worry. Surely there was no reason for wood chopping to take this long even if Logan had chopped down an entire tree. Eventually she decided enough was enough. It hadn't snowed all day and Marie was confident that she'd be able to follow his tracks. She laced up her combat boots with a determined tug and made her way outside after wrapping up as warm as she could. In seconds she saw his boot prints in the snow and followed them up a small hill and down the other side to an opening. Logan was still nowhere to be seen and even more worryingly she didn't hear any noises from anywhere around her. The silence was unnerving and she shivered, pulling her coat tighter against her body.

Away from the opening she could see more than one set of prints in the crisp white snow and now more worried than before she hurried to follow them. There was a dip up ahead, almost like a small valley and as the footprints mixed with each other she could see red streaks and spots on the snow. She came to a sudden halt. Even from a distance she could make out there were two bodies lying in the snow and one of them was instantly recognisable to her. 

"Logan!" Marie gasped. Panicked and confused she ran to him as fast as the deep snow would let her. She collapsed on to her knees next to him and tried her best to cope with the nausea in her stomach. The snow around him was a deep crimson and made her want to wretch. Get a hold of yourself Marie… She breathed in deeply and prepared to assess the damage. 

Logan’s coat and shirt were torn, deep gashes marking his body all over. A large cut sliced clean across his back, deep enough in places to reveal shining metal bones under the layers of torn muscle. "Oh god..." she whispered, covering her mouth. 

Marie put all of her efforts in to turning his body over and by bracing herself against the hard icy snow under her feet she finally managed the feat. Better or for worse she had to see how bad it was. If the gashes on his back were bad, the wounds on his front were terrifying. There were claw marks and cuts on his face and it looked as if someone had run several sharp blades straight through his chest.

"Oh Logan..." she whispered, placing a gloved hand on his face. Even through the material she could feel the icy coldness of his skin. She was certain even he couldn’t survive this much damage. She tried to feel for his pulse, but couldn’t find one and the panic in her mind began to take over. She’d be all alone now and this was all her fault. He was a good man, he’d been so kind to her and this was his reward… She turned away from him and swallowed a sob, standing up from the red snow with shaking legs. 

Marie looked at the second body laying near by. Tentatively she walked over to it to and cowered in recognition. No…. Anyone but him… The man in the snow was familiar to her, even though she didn't know his name. Marie had been trying desperately to outrun and outsmart him for months now and an overwhelming sense of dread and guilt washed over her. He'd found her, he'd hunted her like an animal and Logan had paid the price. 

This man, whoever he was, was most certainly dead. His long suede leather coat had bloodied gashes in several places and Marie was sure that the brutal bloody mess next to his body was some part of his dietary system. Her nausea returned with a vengeance. The man’s matted long dirty blonde hair and made him look almost like a wild animal rather than a human. In place of regular fingernails he had sharp claws and from the small amount his mouth was open Marie could instantly see his teeth were sharp. Thank god he couldn’t follow her anymore.

The final tell tale sign of his death were the three bloody holes under his chin and the profuse amount of blood that had congealed on his neck and chest. Logan had practically gutted the bastard as well as pierced his brain. Thank god, she thought without a shred of guilt. This guy whoever he was had made her life a living nightmare. 

A slow groan made Marie jump until she realised the noise hadn't come from the unknown man at her feet. "Logan!" She exclaimed and dropped to her knees next to him. He was alive, though she couldn't even remotely begin to understand how. She lifted his head gently to her lap. "Hey sugar, it's me, Marie. Stay with me sugar, you can't leave me here on my own." He had begun to breathe, though every breath was more like the ragged desperate gasp for air of a drowning victim. He coughed and a thin stream of blood began running down the corner of his mouth. 

"Jesus... Logan can you hear me? Stay with me sugar, please." Marie's voice betrayed her desperation and she didn't even care. He couldn't leave her on her own in the middle of this fucking forest with no one to ask for help from. He couldn't leave her because without him she didn't have a single friend in the world. He was a good man. And she'd never taken the chance to even thank him properly. The thought of losing him made her body shudder with anxiety and horror. "Logan? If you can hear me sugar just let me know somehow, I need to know you're still there." 

One of his hands soon found hers and he clasped her fingers in his. "Marie..." it was more of a groan than a word, but it was a definite sign of life. "I'm here Logan. I'm here." She felt a tear fall from her eye, but there was no time to get emotional, she had to get him to safety first. If she could just get him to the cabin he might pull through, but she couldn't even attempt to lift his metal laced body. She ran the fingers of her free hand through his hair. "Marie you need to run... hide... Sabretooth.." he struggled with getting the words out, his breath still being laboured from what Marie assumed to be enormous amounts of blood still filling his lungs. 

"If you mean that heap lying there sugar, I'm pretty sure he's dead. He's dead, I'm safe." He held her hand tight and pressed her fingers against his chest. "Dead." He repeated. "Yeah, you did good sugar." She tried to smile and he closed his eyes. The snow was seeping through her jeans and she felt the cold permeate her body. Logan must be half frozen by now, but maybe keeping his body temperature low would help. Still, too low and he might never wake up again. "Logan are you... can you stand? We gotta get you back to the cabin or you'll freeze to death out here." He said nothing, just squeezed her hand and tried to breathe. "You're safe." He finally stated bringing her gloved fingers to his lips. "I'm the safest I've ever been sugar, I'm with you aren't I?”

She attempted to smile again through her worried tears and thought she saw a momentary smirk on his lips. Slowly he let go of her hand, and attempted to sit up. He groaned with pain as he managed to bend his legs enough to end up on his knees. Marie instinctively placed herself on his right side and propped his body up from below. It was labour intensive but finally they managed to get Logan's body to comply and he stood up. He coughed and spat blood in to the snow. "We can make it sugar, i know we can." She whispered, and they began the slow walk back to the cabin. 

By the time they reached it, Marie was shattered from trying to support his body. He'd dragged his feet the entire way and she'd struggled to keep him moving. She kicked the door open and managed to get him to the edge of the bed before letting go. She slumped on to the floor and his body hit the bed almost simultaneously. After catching her breath she began taking off his torn clothes. Even with his healing factor it was important to see what the damage was and to try and clean at least the worst cuts. 

His sculpted torso was still covered in blood and cuts that hadn't healed. She ran outside and filled their coffee cups with snow before returning to the bed with a bottle of bourbon. "I'm sorry sugar." She'd gone through his clothes and found a clean enough wife beater top to act as an emergency dressing. She dumped the snow on his body and he grunted. 

"I know Logan, I know." She washed away the congealed blood on his chest. The worst was yet to come. She opened the bourbon and took a swig before pouring trickles of it on his wounds she heard a distinct *snikt* and saw his claws pop out, missing her leg by only an inch. She tore up the white top and did her best to press segments of it on the still bleeding gashes on his chest. "I know it hurts, but it’ll be okay. You’ll be okay.” 

After she was finished, she sat down on the floor, her body shaking as the shock settled in. She'd never seen so much blood, never had to tend to someone like this who had glints of metallic bones exposed in the middle of mangled muscle and sinew. She took another swig from the bottle. "Hey kid..." she heard him mumble. "Yeah?" "Gimme some of that." He reached for the bottle and Marie obliged. It was getting dark and she got up and threw the remaining logs in to the stove, lighting a fire as well as she could with shaking hands. 

All of a sudden she felt the cold more than she had all day. She tried rubbing her arms up and down but it was no use. Her bones had turned to ice and her muscles were frozen in to place. She paced around for a few minutes before returning to her spot in front of the stove and waited for the heat to sink in.

Logan opened his eyes and turned his head. Through the fog he saw Marie standing there, and his heart swelled. She was alright. She was safe. Her words stuck in his hazy brain. "You did good sugar." Her words echoed in his mind. For once, he did good. "Kid?" He called out to her. "C'mere." 

She sat on the edge of the bed and he pulled out the covers from under his body. She helped arrange them over him and did her best to make him feel comfortable. "C'mere." He repeated, slightly holding up the corner of the quilt. She slid in next to him, using whatever was left of the torn up wife beater to shield his chest from her skin. 

"It's alright, you can't hurt me that bad kid." He might’ve laughed if it had been physically possible. She curled up next to him and he placed an arm around her. "I'll be good by morning." He grumbled. She placed her head on his chest for a moment and heard his heartbeat in her ears. Nestling up next to him she felt reassured. He wasn't going anywhere. 

****

Logan woke up slowly with no idea of how many hours he’d been out for. Unusually for him his body was sore and aching. The woman in his arms felt soft and warm, her scent was familiar but he couldn't quite place it. He turned on to his side with a grunt and pulled her body flush against his own. Damn she smelled good. Like sandalwood and pine trees and the faintest suggestion of magnolias. She smelt like Marie. 

Opening his eyes took more effort than usual and the events of the previous day stormed back in to his mind in a chaotic jumble. Leaving Marie, trying to find some decent firewood before picking up a scent, sensing the danger and getting attacked. The confrontation played through hid mind with surprising clarity.

"Looks like you've found yourself a new woman!" Sabretooth had growled in to Logan's ear. "I've been trying to find her. Just you wait until I get my hands on her, I'll give her something to remember. My boss wants her alive, but it don't matter if she’s a bit worse for wear once I deliver her." 

Logan had been furious. Of all the twisted, sick bastards he'd met of course it had to be Sabretooth who was after Marie. It finally explained what she'd been running from. 

"No chance bub." 

The fight that ensued had been vicious, quick and bloody. They'd fought each other before, they had a history of mutual dislike and of being on opposing sides of conflicts, but this time all bets were off. Sabretooth had come to kill and to kidnap and Logan wasn't having any of it. They'd both been berserk, hacking at each other furiously like animals, wanting to tear each other's throats out. 

Sabretooth had come close to success, too close, but Logan had dealt the final blow. He'd practically gutted the bastard and with one fierce and brutal move he'd gone in for a classic uppercut punch, but released his claws under his opponents chin, skewering his head and piercing his brain. He'd been tired, so tired and so badly cut from so many places he'd slumped in to the snow and not been able to get back up. And then he'd smelt Marie. 

Marie had come to find him. Somehow she'd gotten him back to the cabin and patched him up. His healing mutation had been tested to its limit trying to simultaneously fix so many lethal injuries. His lungs had been punctured, his chest sliced open to the bone and his back torn apart. The more minor injuries added to the list meant it had taken all night for his mutation to catch up, and he still didn't feel at his best. 

Marie... she'd seen what he could do now, she'd seen the Wolverine after a days work. She should've run from him, she should've been shocked, traumatised, incapacitated by the guts and the pints and pints of fresh blood on the snow. Damn, maybe she had been, maybe she just didn't know what else to do other than get him back to the cabin and try and help him, she was a good person and sometimes people do crazy things when they're in shock. She should've run, but instead she was here. With him. 

Logan buried his face in her thick hair and inhaled deeply. What a woman. She'd called him 'sugar' more than once last night. She'd said she was the safest she'd ever been. "I'm with you, aren't I?" she’d said in an attempt to keep him awake. He’d never even considered that anyone, let alone a girl like her would feel safe around him. It had made his heart swell. She trusted him enough to get in to the same bed, under the same covers even after everything she'd just seen. Maybe Charles and Jean had been right. Maybe he was one of the good guys after all. 

Logan felt the makeshift bandages on his chest strain as he took a deep breath. She'd been sort on supplies and had used duct tape to tape the strips of white cloth on to his chest. Taking them off was gonna hurt, but he'd live. Last night had hurt a thousand times more. He stroked her hair gently and on impulse pressed his lips against her clothed shoulder. God he wanted to kiss her for real some day. 

Gently he eased his arm out from under her relaxed body and sat up. He tucked her under the covers and crept to the other side of the cabin where he kept his pack of clothes and supplies. His jeans were crusty with dry blood and his hacked up shirt was no use to anyone. He was glad he'd brought spares along for the ride. After lighting a fire with what was left of a broken chair in the cabin, he draped his clean shirt near the stove and hoped it'd get at least a little warm. He opened the door of cabin quietly and stepped out. He knew he looked and smelt rough and eying up the mountains of snow around him he knew there was only one thing for it. 

Marie woke up to the cabin door clicking shut. She was suddenly conscious of the warmth of the bed and the contradictory discovery that she was alone in it. Logan was gone. Her heart sunk. Maybe he'd left to get some firewood, or maybe he didn't want to face looking at her and being so close to such danger first thing in the morning. Still, she knew he'd held her all night, real close. She'd felt the warmth of his body even through her clothes and she'd relished in it. Such intimacy was rare in her life, she couldn't even remember the last time she'd fallen asleep next to another person like that. Maybe she never had. 

She could still taste the faint note of bourbon in her mouth, maybe she'd drank more than she thought. Well, who gave a damn anyway. She'd needed it. She sat up and set about the task of making coffee. She took out the two enamel cups and the old pot and went to work. It was then she noticed Logan's shirts by the stove and felt relieved. He probably hadn't gone far. 

At that moment the cabin door opened, letting in a rush of cold air. She turned to the door and saw Logan standing there completely shirtless, the wounds and gashes on his body completely gone and replaced by the angry red marks left by her wound dressing skills. Marie was suddenly overwhelmingly relieved. He closed the door behind him and she threw herself at him with abandon wrapping her arms around his torso and squeezing him tight. He was freezing cold, but alive and well. She hugged him tight and didn't care about anything else in that moment. 

Logan was taken completely by surprise. No one had ever been this happy to see him. He raised his arms stiffly and placed them around her small frame. Then it happened. Her warm cheek pressed against his icy and bare chest, only for a few seconds, but it was definitely real. And nothing happened. There was no tingly sensation, no pull of any kind. Just skin on skin. 

"Hey kid, you alright?" She moved back, but only an inch or so, her shining face looking up at him endearingly. "I'm fine. I'm just glad your alright." She said smiling. Her brow furrowed. "But sugar, you're freezing cold!" Logan smiled. "I needed a clean after last night." It took a moment for her to catch up. "You... you washed in the snow?!" Her face was a picture: her eyes wide with astonishment. Logan chuckled as Marie shook her head in disbelief. “You must be freezing! C’mere sugar, get yourself warm." She handed him his clean shirts and focused on making coffee. Marie was blushing and trying to hide it. She touched her cheek and it felt cold, her heart was pounding. She'd felt it, but she didn't want to believe it had happened, not yet. 

Logan pulled his shirt on and buttoned it. He was glad it was warm, though Marie's hug had been warmer. And her skin had felt so soft... Stop bein' such a sap, he thought to himself in an attempt to shake off whatever feelings were threatening to creep up inside him. "We don't really have any food left." Marie mentioned casually, passing Logan a cup of hot coffee. "Thanks." He sipped at the coffee and weighed their options.

If Sabretooth had been looking for her, it was likely someone else was too. By killing him they might have a head start but there was no knowing how long it'd last. He didn't even know who was after her and why, so his intel was limited. In hindsight he should've at least tried to question Sabretooth before killing him but there hadn't been much of chance for that. He needed to know what was going on, but he wanted to hold off the inevitable. She'd get upset, scared even and he didn't want to be the cause of that. What harm could waiting another hour or two do. 

"Kid?" Logan took a step towards her, placing his coffee on the stove top. "Uh-huh?" She was standing there, looking so gorgeous despite the reddish brown stains on her clothes and her messy tangled hair. He placed a tentative hand on her shoulder. "Thanks. For lookin after me the way you did. For managing to get me back up here and patching me up, I know it wasn't easy." His words were as heartfelt as he could muster. Marie kept her eyes on the floor. "I know you must be a bit... Well, I'm real sorry you had to see what you did. All that blood an' all. You shouldn't have had to see me like that." Even then she said nothing. "It meant a lot to me, what you did last night and I just wanted to say as much." He let his arm drop back to his side, deflated by her lack of response. Unlike most people she was real tough to read sometimes. 

"Logan?" She finally looked up. "I didn't mind the blood. I mean it was gross an' all but I've been around my share of tough situations before." She halted. Not knowing how to say what she felt she had to. "It's my fault." She turned away from him, voicing her guilt proved harder than she'd thought. 

"Whaddya mean kid?" He asked inquisitively. "That guy... I don't know who he was but I know he was here for me. I've seen him before, following me. And I figure if I'd told you before, that I was being chased, this wouldn't have happened. I shouldn’t have stayed. It was all my fault." She hung her head, ashamed. She should've taken care of her own problems, shouldn't have risked his life to try and save her own. 

"I know." Logan's voice was low but surprisingly calm. "I can put two and two together well enough kid, I knew you were running from something bad and Sabretooth out there is as bad as they come." Marie bit her lip. She didn't want to cry now. Logan was fine and she'd have nothing to worry about as long as he was with her. "I'm so sorry, I put you in danger. You coulda--" He cut her off and turned her around gently, but firmly. 

"I'm tough to kill kid. Don't worry 'bout me like that." He pulled her back in to his arms. God it felt good to hold her. "I understand kid, if you want me to just drop you off somewhere or get rid of me soon as you can. You've seen that I'm good at what I can do, but what I do isn't very nice." 

Marie leaned against his chest silently wishing away the layers of clothing between their bodies. She didn't want rid of him, she just wanted him. She wanted to feel close to him and for the first time in years she felt comfortable in someone’s arms. She shook her head at his suggestion. "I told you sugar, the blood don't bother me. This guy, Sabretooth or whatever had it coming. If you hadn't killed him, he'd have killed you and done god knows what to me. I'm not scared of you Logan." 

That was a relief. He breathed in deeply inhaling her scent. It was like a drug and just knowing he could stay with her and keep her safe was enough to give him gratification. He held her against himself, hoping that she wouldn't want to move yet. They fit together so well, it just felt natural. Far too soon, Marie pulled away. "If we can get outta here, could you take me to Toronto? I was thinking maybe I could start a life there? Maybe whoever was looking for me would stop, or I could hide so good they wouldn't find me." She sounded so hopeful. "Sure. It's best we don't stay here anyway in case anyone comes lookin' for our furry friend out there." Marie nodded. “Okay then. Lets get going sugar.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about taking a little break for the last couple of days, here's chapter six! Apologies that it's a bit on the short side. I'll post the next few chapters as soon as I've proofread and edited them :) Thank you so much to everyone whose commented and left kudos <3 I don't always reply to every comment individually but I read all of them and they really make my day so thank you very much!

Quicker than expected they'd packed their few belongings and after some coaxing Logan managed to get the car started. Even with the most direct route to Toronto it would take a good few days to get there and Logan was secretly pleased. Calgary would've been too close, the goodbye would've come too soon. This way he could at least be around her for a little longer and make sure she got to her destination safely. 

The truck was a big pick up, new and black but not flashy enough to attract attention even in the backwaters of Alberta. It had taken him a while to dig it out of the snow and to clear a path wide enough to get it out on the road but luckily it hadn't snowed in a few days now so it wasn't too big of a job. He'd parked right at the end he of the hill, not far from the road but impossible for anyone to notice. Marie had climbed in and within minutes she'd begun rubbing her hands together and shivering. It took a while for the heating to kick in and he felt bad that the chill hadn't really bothered him much. 

They drove for hours through what felt like endless straight roads flanked by woods on either side. "How do you even know where you're goin' here? It all looks the same to me." Marie remarked. The scenery was beautiful in its own way but it filled her with an uneasiness she couldn't shrug off. The people looking for her could be anywhere and she'd never know.

"You get used to it." He stated casually. Marie huffed. "You don't like it up here then?" He asked, glancing at her briefly. She wasn't made for living in cabins and trekking through rough territory but a part of him was still a bit disappointed. "It's not that I don't like it, I'm just... I'm just not sure about it." She shuffled in her seat and leaned her head against the windows. 

She was strange girl, Logan thought. A real southern lady, but there was a toughness to her you wouldn't expect. A normal woman would've made a run for it, or would've at least panicked after what'd happened the other day. But she'd staid put. She'd seen blood before apparently, been in some battles of her own, but how she'd ended up running from some of the baddest guns for hire he didn't understand. A gal like her deserved a nice life. She was good and kind, the things that'd happened to her hadn't hardened her. Yet. She should be living in a big antebellum house somewhere nice and warm, with flowers in the garden and someone to look after her. She wasn't supposed to live as a runaway, even if she was tough enough to do it. She was a grown woman for sure but sometimes she still looked so young, innocent. Not like the bad ass she’d turned out to be. 

"Hey Marie?" She turned her head to him and smiled. It was one of the first times he'd called her by her name instead of 'kid'. "You don't gotta tell me anything you don't feel like sharin' but I figured you might wanna tell me how you ended up in this mess." He was trying to sound friendly enough, casual and like there was no pressure to talk but maybe it wasn't working. "I guess you deserve to know, getting your guts torn out for me and all." She smirked. 

"My skin went nuts on me when I was still a kid, I was about sixteen and accidentally put my crush in a coma by kissing him. He'd invited me to homecoming even though I was just a freshman. But people saw us, saw what I did to him. My parents didn't know what to do. My daddy saw me as a freak, my mama was scared of me even though she tried to hide it. She gave me a wad of cash and told me to look after myself, so I skipped town." 

Damn.

"I wandered around, heading north little by little, working my way as I went. I waited tables, worked behind a few bars, and for a little while things always went fine. But then the questions would come. 'Why the gloves honey? Why’d you wanna cover up everythin’ god gave you?’ I had to keep moving. I tried to settle down in Minneapolis, I worked in a bar downtown and things were going good. But then after my shift one night some guy came to look for me while I was throwing out the trash. He came on real strong, and he was a big guy. He didn't leave me with a choice, I grabbed his arm and dropped him." 

Logan's blood was boiling. 

"The problem is when I touch somebody like that, I don't just get their powers if they're mutants, but I get their thoughts too. Sometimes even some of their personality if I hold on long enough. Sometimes to protect myself I've ended up with other people's mutations or skills, but I don't like using my powers unless I have to. The few people I've accidentally touched for a long time are still in my head and I can't always get them to go away." 

Well fuck. Logan had expected something pretty heavy, but this was a new level of being hard done by. Shit. 

Marie waited. She’d just said she heard voices in her head, she knew it sounded crazy, but she’d still wanted some kind of sign from him that he wasn’t too weirded out by it all.

"A few months ago I saw Sabretooth for the first time. I think someone had sicked him on me like a dog, because he wouldn't let up. He threatened me a good few times, but I knew how to leave places without anyone seein' me. He nearly had me cornered in a bar in Montreal, and then again in Quebec, but I slipped away. I don't know why he wanted me so bad." She kept looking at the road ahead of them and fell in to a heavy silence.

That was it. Her story so far. It had included a few more mishaps, moving with a bad crowd, an unhappy relationship attempt or two and a few more people ending up in her head, but Marie didn't want to mention them. That was her private business. Not even Logan needed to know about the hours and hours she'd spent in dark rooms and cupboards, trying to get the voices to shut up and leave her alone. Everyone has their private hell, their purgatory and that had been hers. Still, she felt disappointed. Logan stayed silent all throughout her talking and now that she was finished he still said nothing. Sure, she'd done some stuff she wasn't proud of, but that was mostly all the crap she hadn’t even mentioned. She couldn't help her mutation and the people that had ended up renting space in the corners of her mind. Out of anyone she thought maybe he'd understand. 

After a few minutes Logan exhaled deeply. ”I'm sorry Marie, for everything thats happened to you. But while you’re with me you won't have to worry about anything. I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you." He didn't know how to phrase it all without freaking her out. What he really wanted to say was that he needed to look after her, he needed to keep her safe. He wanted to stay with her as long as she'd have him and he wanted to protect her from every asshole who tried to touch her and from every merc who was out to get her, no matter who was sending them. He didn’t know when, but at some point between almost stabbing her and being torn to pieces by Sabretooth for her sake, he’d fallen for her. The realisation filled him with dread and he tightened his grip on the steering wheel. 

"You ain't got nothing to be sorry about sugar, the worlds a tough place but I've made it through alright so far.” Her words shook him out of his own thoughts. She was so proud, she sounded like she had a point to prove to the universe. She might've been dealt a shit hand but that wasn't gonna break her. God. What a woman. He was going to do right by her. He had to. 

After a moments silence Marie glanced at him. "Thanks for the offer though. I'm glad you're in my corner." It made him want to slam on the breaks and kiss her. Show her how much he'd be in her corner if she'd let him. She was a stunner and she had heart, and it made him think that if the world worked differently he'd just grab her and take her somewhere safe and she'd never have to worry about anything. 

If he'd been a different kind of a man, he'd have been a real hero and not a second rate deadbeat whose only good quality was how well he could kill. He'd have pulled some real Prince Charming on a white horse-type shit and come up with a way of making sure she'd never be harassed or chased by people again. But he was just an asshole with a pick-up truck and the only thing he could do for now was drive her to wherever she wanted to go.


	7. On the Road

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had a busier week than i'd anticipated, but here it finally is! Chapter 7, where our hero and heroine end up in a motel and things take an interesting turn. (Sexual behaviour very heavily implied, but no actual hot and heavy stuff. Yet.) As always I appreciate every bit of feedback I get, so please comment if you have a minute, I promise I do read all comments and always get happy when I receive them!

After a four hour drive, they'd finally reached the edge of civilisation in the form of a tack shop. Marie's clothes were still stained with his blood and Logan knew she needed a new set of almost everything. At least her coat didn't look so bad, just dirty and luckily it covered up her jeans so she could go in and not come across like an axe murderer from the wild north. 

While Marie found herself the least offensive shirts and jeans in the shop, Logan got them something to eat. Marie piled up her purchases on to the counter and began rummaging through her pockets but before she could find her money, Logan planted a stack of bills in to cashier’s hand. 

“You don’t have to —“ Marie began to object but Logan wouldn’t hear it. “It’s okay kid, I got this.”

A few minutes later she changed in the customer restrooms and was disgusted with her image in the mirror. He hair was dirty, her face tired and worn out. I look like I’ve been livening on the streets for months…. It wasn’t far from the truth, but Marie had never looked quite this shoddy. She felt embarrassed. It’s a miracle he hasn’t run a mile already. She thought grimly. She needed a shower, fast. 

A few hours later, Marie was getting tired. She wanted to sleep in a real bed, take a proper shower and rest. The last week of her life so far had been insane. Stealing that car, having it die in the middle of Alberta, waking up nearly naked in the cabin of a wild man who almost skewered her in the middle of the night.... how could so many things happen so quickly? It was exhausting. 

She'd been so used to just looking after herself, being a rogue operative on a distinctly solo mission and she'd felt strange when Logan made her coffee and made sure she was warm, made sure she was alright. It had felt... nice. And here she was sitting in his truck and being told she could count on him, he'd help her. He didn't look like a storybook hero, in fact she was damn sure he wasn't one, but he was the one person she'd ever met who stood up for her and wanted to be there for her. Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, Marie thought to herself with a sideways smile. 

She fell asleep leaning her head against the side of the truck. Logan stole a glance at her every now and again, she looked so peaceful and calm in her sleep that it was making his heart melt. God she was gorgeous. Her hair was flowing down her shoulders and her chest was rising ever so slightly with every breath. That face, that body... Logan grit his teeth. It was tricky to not constantly be thinking about her like that. He wanted to be a better man but every time he looked at her he remembered how good she felt against his body, how well her soft curves fit up against his chest and his crotch and how much better it would've felt if she'd been naked in that bed. 

You idiot, he chastised himself. She'd probably suck the life out of you and you'd deserve it too you old bastard, he growled inwardly. Except this morning, that hadn't happened. During that hug, that completely unexpected display of emotions, Marie's skin hadn't done a damn thing to him. Her cheek had rested on his chest, just for a moment, but he'd felt it. Absolutely nothing had happened, she'd been all happiness and smiles and Logan thought she must've not noticed, but on further thought that seemed real unlikely. Had she done it on purpose? Was it a fluke or a freak accident? It was impossible to say. 

A sign glowed at him from the roadside. "Great North Motel. Vacancies." He pulled in to the parking lot and turned off the engine. "Hey kid?" He tried, testing if she was still asleep but Marie didn't move. He shook her gently. "Hey sleepin' beauty." He said softly, watching her eyes open. "Huh?" "Found us a motel, figured we both deserved a shower and a rest. We'll check in as a couple, be a bit less suspicious. I got a cap in the back, cover up your hair. Don't need to make it easy for people to find you in case someone comes lookin'." 

Marie nodded dumbly and did as Logan instructed. He pulled her close in to a half embrace as he checked in to the motel and was given a room on the top floor at the far end of the low building. It wasn't too bad looking of a place, if anything the clean smell of the room and the comfortable looking bed felt like he'd struck gold. It was basic but neat and tidy and if there was enough hot water for both of them to have a shower he'd be more than satisfied. Shower... thoughts of Marie getting soapy and wet, water dripping down her creamy skin suddenly invaded his mind and he cracked his neck in a vain attempt to focus on other things. 

Unhelpfully Marie headed straight in to bathroom and he heard her turn on the taps, she'd left the door open and suddenly he heard a yelp. In an instant he was in the room ready to spring in to action. Marie blushed furiously. "You alright kid, what's wrong?" Logan asked with concern. "I'm okay sugar, the hot water was just... really hot." He cocked an eyebrow and chuckled, she was damn cute when she was embarrassed. "You go ahead kid, have a shower. I'll be right out here if you need anything." Damn, that didn't come out right. "I mean I'm here if you need me." Well shit, it got worse. "I'm just gonna watch tv" he grunted, the flicker of amusement in her eyes making him feel hot and bothered. "Uh huh." She voiced in acknowledgement, closing the bathroom door. He heard her giggle and it brought a smile to his lips. Anything to make her smile.

Marie slipped out of her clothes easily enough, letting them pool on the cold tiled floor. She turned on the shower and shook her hair out of the baseball cap, placing it on the counter. God she needed this. This time she adjusted the temperature before letting the water touch her skin and sighed in contentment. Just right. She stood under the stream of water and let it cascade over her body. It felt amazing, every drop felt like a touch of heaven. The motel soap and shampoo were dirt cheap but she couldn't have cared less. She lathered herself using a luxurious amount of soap and let her mind wander. 

Somehow, just like every other time in the past few days, the first thing to pop in to her mind was Logan. She thought about his sculpted chest and solid abs, his perfectly formed muscular shoulders and that wild black hair. He was something special. She'd been attracted to men before, a woman too once or twice, but never like this. Logan was the walking, talking definition of animal magnetism and just thinking about his body made her knees weak. She wanted him to touch her, she wanted to run her own hands and lips all over his rugged body and her heartbeat quickened at the idea. As her mind wandered so did her hands and soon she found her hands exploring her body. She leaned against the cold bathroom tiles. If she was quiet and quick, he'd never even notice. She could be quick, but she wasn't convinced about quiet. At least the tv was on. 

About twenty minutes later, Marie emerged from the shower shirt and jeans back on and a towel wrapped around her hair. She plopped herself nonchalantly next to him on the only bed in the room and smiled at his tv programme selection. "Hockey?" She couldn't hide her amusement. He smirked. "It was the only sensible thing on." Her shower fresh body smelt amazing. Her own scent was there as usual, mixed in with fresh soap and a general scent of cleanliness. Her cheeks were flushed, presumably from the hot water and as she unwrapped her hair from the towel he saw the droplets of water instantly making a wet patch on her t shirt. "You alright sugar?" He grunted something monosyllabic in response and stood up. "I'm sorry if I was in there too long, I hope I didn't use up all the water." She looked at him sheepishly. "I'll be fine kid." Maybe he was more in need of a cold shower anyway. "I'll be right here if you need me." She grinned at him, obviously joking. He chuckled. Oh honey, you have no idea... 

As he stood in the shower he started regretting letting her in first. The small space smelt like her and he couldn't stop the thoughts of her naked body flowing in to his brain. God damn it. Even a cold shower couldn't stop this, he might as well enjoy the heat. He breathed in deep through his nose and suddenly paused. Even with all the flowing water dulling his senses and washing away what remained of Marie he picked up the faintest scent of something very distinct. "Fuck." He grunted out loud. She had... yup. Definitely. And he'd not heard a thing. Clever girl, he thought to himself, suddenly wondering if she was that quiet when she was with someone. He'd make her scream his name. She imagined her whimpering, moaning against his body. What had her face looked like just minutes ago in this shower... it was impossible to not think about her now. If he was quick and quiet, she'd never know. He hadn't realised a damn thing after all and he was the one with the super senses. At least the tv was on. 

Marie sat on the bed, watching the hockey. It wasn't really her thing, but the commentator was obnoxiously loud enough to distract from thought of showering Logan just yards away from her. She wondered briefly if he was just showering of if he was... she might've been an adult but the thought of it made her blush all the same. She'd been around enough shady bars to see people getting off with or without company in back alleys or catching them in the act in club toilets, but even then thinking about Logan made her cheeks flare up. His body was so fucking perfect... She felt herself get carried away again and tried to focus on the hockey. She didn't understand a damn thing about it. 

Another few minutes rolled past and Logan sauntered out of the shower, Marie's mouth dropped open. He was only wearing a towel around his waist, his bundled up clothes still on the bathroom floor. She knew she was staring and not doing a good job of hiding it, but hot damn. His body was literally steaming and she wanted to wrap herself around it and do some unspeakable things to him asap. "You admiring the view kid?" He leaned on the door frame and cocked an eyebrow. The bastard did this on purpose. "I've seen naked men before sugar, nothin' I can't handle." She laughed flippantly, but looked away all the same. 

He walked across the room to his pack and pulled out a white wife beater vest going back in to the bathroom and closing the door behind him. After getting dressed he sat next to her. "Enjoyin' the game?" he looked at her with a grin and Marie chuckled. "I don't understand a thing about it." She admitted, suddenly yawning. "Get some sleep kid. You need it." She crawled toward the top edge of the bed and nestled her head against the pillow. It felt like heaven. He smiled, turning the tv on mute. "Get under the covers kid, I'll take the floor." She did as he recommended, groggily pulling her legs up and sliding them under the blankets. 

He stood up, not wanting to bother her. The battered looking armchair in the corner of the room would do just fine if he didn't want to sleep on the floor. He could bring the chair a bit closer, sleep lightly and keep her safe. Before he got that far, her gloved hand grabbed his sleeve. "Don't go." She mumbled sleepily. "Plenty of room for you too." She tugged him towards the bed. "All right kid." He decided against getting under the covers, he didn't want to risk doing anything to her in his sleep. He was going to be a gentleman even if it killed him. He draped an arm over her sleepy figure and gently pulled her close. If there ever was a girl he might be tempted to make an honest woman out of, she was it. 

Marie woke up suddenly with Logan's arms holding her tight. It was still late, or very early, she couldn't tell. He hadn't been under the covers at first but at some point in the night he'd ended up tangled in them with her, his bare muscular arms wrapped around her waist. His fingers had curled and against her and as the realisation of her situation sunk in, her heart almost stopped. His fingers were touching her stomach. Her entire body tensed up in an instant. In a blind panic she pushed his arms away and leapt out of the bed. 

How the hell had she let this happen? She thought she'd learned after what happened with Remy to never be so careless again. It didn't matter if she was lonely or if she was insanely attracted to him, they should never have been close like that without being completely clothed. It was reckless, stupid and even with his healing factor it could have been lethal. Fuck, fuck, fuck. She tried to slow down her breathing and clenched her hands in to tight fists. She could still feel his fingertips lightly resting on her stomach, oh sweet lord, she was going to cry. A tear rolled down her cheek. Maybe it hadn't been a one-time thing after all. She calmed herself down enough to sit back on the bed and looked at Logan's sleeping face. He was so handsome. She was falling for him faster than she'd fallen for anyone else. 

She made a decision and swallowed hard. Peeling off the glove in her right hand, she took a deep breath. "I don't wanna hurt you sugar, I just need to see if this could work." She focused her mind. She couldn't hurt him, she wasn't going to hurt him. She repeated the two phrases to herself. In a moment of bravery, she lowered her hand and touched his face. First, she tried it with just her fingertips. She felt the warmth of his skin and her body shook with sobs. Oh god. Gently she placed her entire hand, palm and all, against his cheek. Nothing happened. It was like breathing for the first time after diving for too long. The relief was unbelievable. She smiled through her tears. She could touch again, for the first time in years. And not just anyone, him. She could hold his hand if she wanted to, if he'd let her. Hug him without fear. Kiss him. 

****

Logan woke up in the motel bed, Marie's scent still clinging to it. His arms were empty but just as he was about to get up, she felt her sit down next to him. Why wasn't she just getting back to bed next to him? Then she smelt the anxiety rising off her. And had she been crying. He furrowed his brow and weighed up his options. If she was scared of him, freaking out over sleeping next to him again it was probably best to pretend he was asleep for a bit, let her calm down. He kept his eyes closed and his face as motionless as possible. Then he felt it. Fingertips, followed by the touch of a small hand resting gently on his face. Holy shit. He was touching her. He wasn't scared of her skin, never had been. But after what she'd said in the truck about absorbing thoughts, memories and personalities.... She didn't deserve to have him inside her head. But nothing seemed to be happening. Holy shit, she could touch him.


	8. Human Touch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a 2 for 1 kind of day! Here's chapter 8, where things get pretty heated (this is why there's an M rating folks :P)! I'm not at all familiar with writing this sort of stuff so I hope it's not too cringe-inducing, awkward and awful. Let me know what you think!
> 
> Ain't no mercy on the streets of this town  
> Ain't no bread from heavenly skies  
> Ain't nobody drawin' wine from this blood  
> It's just you and me tonight
> 
> Tell me, in a world without pity  
> Do you think what I'm askin's too much  
> I just want something to hold on to  
> And a little of that Human Touch  
> Just a little of that Human Touch
> 
> Oh girl that feeling of safety you prize  
> Well it comes at a hard hard price  
> You can't shut off the risk and the pain  
> Without losin' the love that remains  
> We're all riders on this train
> 
> So you've been broken and you've been hurt  
> Show me somebody who ain't  
> Yeah, I know I ain't nobody's bargain  
> But, hell, a little touchup  
> and a little paint
> 
> You might need somethin' to hold on to  
> When all the answers, they don't amount to much  
> Somebody that you could just to talk to  
> And a little of that Human Touch
> 
> Baby, in a world without pity  
> Do you think what I'm askin's too much  
> I just want to feel you in my arms  
> Share a little of that Human Touch
> 
> Feel a little of that Human Touch  
> Give me a little of that Human Touch
> 
> \- Bruce Springsteen, Human Touch

He opened his eyes slowly, and Marie jumped. She stood up, desperately tugging her glove back on but it was inside out and the fingers were stuck. "Oh shit, Logan I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have-- I didn't mean-- shit Logan, I'm real sorry..." he sat up and pulled her gloved hand to get her back on to the bed. "Hey hey, calm down kid." She bit her lip, and a few more tears fell down her face. 

"I shouldn't have--" she looked and felt so guilty, his heart cracked. "I'm all right kid. Told you before, you can't hurt me." They sat next to each other in silence. Without words Logan pulled off Marie's left glove. "Logan?" She whispered questioningly. "I won't hurt you kid, promise. And you won't hurt me either. Trust me." She nodded. Gently and carefully he took her hand in his and entwined his fingers with hers. 

Marie wanted to scream. She wanted to giggle, cry, jump and sit as still as possible. She settled for a giggle. The emotions were intense, overwhelming and for a few minutes she didn't know at all what to do with them. She closed her eyes and just focused on the warmth of his skin against hers. His hand was a bit coarse, the skin on his palm toughened up from years of hard work and fighting for a living. There it was, the warm touch of another person and not just anyone. Him. Logan. She could touch him. Her insides melted with the thought of all the things they could do to each other. 

Holy fucking hell. Her skin was every bit as soft as he remembered, but this time it was warm, pulsing with life. She could touch him. He didn't know why, though he had his own theory on it, but she could switch off her power and touch him. He wanted to give her warmth, give her time to get used to it. Just because she could didn't mean they should do anything else. But he would've been lying if he said he didn't want to. He wanted to crush her lips with his own, to press her so hard against his body that she could feel every inch of him and to let his hands roam and caress her. But none of that was meant for tonight, he didn’t want to jump the gun and scare her off. Tonight was about comfort. 

"Logan?" She almost whispered. "Do you think you.... I mean I don't know, it might be too dangerous, but...." she tried to desperately form the words but they evaded her. "Go ahead kid, it's alright." Marie was eternally grateful that it was still dark in the room and he couldn't see her blush. "I was gonna take my jeans off, for sleeping, and I was wondering if you'd mind. I don't think my skin'll go on again just now." It was a rare moment of completely voluntary vulnerability from a hardened and isolated young woman. 

"I already told you darlin', you can't hurt me. Not permanently anyways." Was he nervous as anything? Sure. But not from fearing her. Marie in nothing but a t shirt and underwear, lying so close to him could spell disaster. Wandering hands. But he couldn't deny her. "I... could you... could you take yours off as well? I just wanna feel what it's like, being close." 

He pulled her in to a gentle embrace. She could have anything she wanted from him. And if he could just give her this, maybe it would be enough for him too. "Sure thing kid." He grumbled in to her ear, his voice a contradiction of gravel and smooth warmth. She leant in to him and felt like maybe tonight she could just be a normal woman, even just for a few hours, in the arms of a man who was happy to hold her. 

He tucked a stray section of her white streaked hair behind one ear and let his fingers briefly pause on her face. Every single touch from him was electrifying and incapacitating all at once. "Let's get back to bed then sweetheart." He stood up and promptly slid off his jeans and top causing Marie to very nearly swoon. Her breath caught in her throat and she watched him stand there in the very dim light, the rays of neon from the motel sign peeping through the curtains casting shadows on his beautiful body. He oozed sex appeal, there was no denying that.

He climbed back in to the bed in a surprisingly agile way, like a graceful jungle cat, all seamless elegance despite his metal skeleton and significant muscle mass. Marie shook herself out of it and determinedly took off most of her own clothes apart from her t-shirt. She slid under the covers, nervous as a teenager. He stretched an arm over her body and pulled her just a touch closer so she could feel his body right behind her own. 

Marie breathed in deeply, trying to calm down her fast-beating heart. He was just a man, she was just a woman. People did this all the time right? But she hadn't. Not for years now. It felt frightening, the warmth and weight of his body on hers. At the same time she felt more alive than she had in a long time and it was glorious. With every second she was feeling her body wake up from a deep hibernation and instinctively reacting to his movements next to her. Her breathing was synchronising with his and she could feel his chest rise and fall rhythmically against her back. She entwined her legs with his and knew she wasn't making life easy for either of them, but she couldn't stop. Marie had the burning, almost desperate need to feel as much of his skin against her body as she could. 

Logan growled. The sound was low and rumbling, but there was no mistaking it. Her movements were setting him on fire, it was a sweet form of torment to feel her up against him and yet not be able to do the things to her he desperately wanted to. He wanted to sink in to her, he wanted to let his hands and lips turn her in to a moaning incoherent mess. He wanted to take her and claim her in ways that were both tender and harsh, he wanted for her to be his completely. He wanted run his tongue over her perfect breasts and-- 

"Logan? You okay?" Her sweet voice interrupted his train of thought. "Uh huh." He grunted in reply. She turned around to face him in the darkness, her legs quickly mingling with his as she settled in to nuzzling his chest. "Thank you. For this." She pressed her torso against him and sighed contentedly. "You feel real nice sugar." She drawled languidly. He could smell the arousal off her body, sending his senses reeling. In the darkness of the motel room, as her head rested against his chest, Logan thought his life hadn't been such a waste after all. It had brought her to him, and just maybe-- 

His thoughts were again interrupted. Marie was at the end of self control. She needed to feel everything, and she knew from the evidence pressed against her thigh that Logan most likely wouldn't turn her down. It was a moment of madness, but she didn't want to think of the consequences of any of her impulses. She began by pressing sweet, languid kisses on his chest. Logan drew a sharp breath at the contact. 

"Jesus Marie..." his voice was strained. She continued letting her lips roam across his chest. In a smooth motion she disentangled her legs from his and slid her body over his, straddling his hips. Her lips hungrily made their up higher until she found his lips and kissed him. Her lips were soft and gentle, exploring the new territory they'd found with a luxuriously slow pace. For a moment she drew back eliciting a groan from Logan's throat. 

"I need to feel sugar, I need to feel everything." She kissed him again, his hands now roaming up her back as far as he could reach. God she was so small and delicate, he could span the width of her back almost entirely with just one hand. It was his turn to break the kiss. "Marie, I don't wanna hurt you kid." She smirked in slight annoyance. "I'm not a kid Logan, I'm twenty-nine for Christ’s sake! I have done this before." She ground her hips against his to emphasise her point. She leant down next to his ear. "Just be gentle with me baby, it's been a while." Almost four torturously long years. He nodded. "Just tell me to stop if you need it." 

He flipped her over. He'd been reconciled to giving her what he thought she craved, physical contact with no sexual business attached. But he couldn't deny her anything she might want, and this request was no different. He'd walk through fire for her, asking him to sleep with her was hardly a sacrifice. 

Logan's lips were experienced enough to quickly find the soft and sensitive spot at the base of her neck, the small area where the curve of her neck melded in to her shoulder. He licked and kissed her there with abandon. Fuck she was beautiful, and her skin tasted so good too. Like Vanilla. She was so responsive to every touch and action he ministered, he could feel her jolt and shiver as his lips made their way down her body. 

Marie could feel the heat of his breath on her skin, and couldn't stop the small moans from escaping her lips as she felt his kisses travel further and further down her body. It was all so good. His hands caressed her breasts and waist as his tongue lavished the delicate skin on her inner thighs and between her legs. She wanted to give in and melt under his touch, but not yet. God he was good. 

Her head felt foggy, her mind delirious with lust and the overwhelming sensations threatening to cascade over her. "Oh Logan..." she gasped, dipping her slim fingers in to his thick hair. She moaned softly and felt herself ignite, like a thousand small fireworks covering her body from head to toe. Nothing had ever felt this good, she was convinced, her mind buzzing with nothing but pleasure. 

Logan smirked in the darkness, feeling pleased with himself. This was the kind of night where he would give her everything she wanted and he would make sure she enjoyed it all. She was fucking spectacular when she shivered and shuddered like that, he wanted to see it again. 

Marie felt him move away from her and made a small noise in protest. She reached out for him, but he was standing just too far for her to touch. "Shhh babe, don't worry." The small tear of a wrapper was an easily recognisable sound, Marie felt her heartbeat quicken. He climbed back in the bed, supporting his weight in his arms propped on either side of her languid body.

"You still sure about this?" He asked, hoping to whatever god there might be that she'd say yes. "Uh-huh..." she nodded. He leaned down, and kissed her neck again, eliciting a shiver from her. "You're so fucking gorgeous..." he growled in to her ear between kisses. She felt one of his hands move down, swiftly finding its place between her legs. He slipped a finger inside her and she bucked against it. She wanted, no needed more than that. 

He adjusted his position and bent his head down to claim her mouth in a hungry, deep kiss. With a firm, smooth thrust she felt him enter her and she let out a moan. It felt intense, but not uncomfortable and she wrapped her arms around his torso. He began moving backwards and forwards, each stroke making her arch her back and move her hips to meet his. She raked her nails down his back, enjoying the taut hard muscles under her hands. Every part of his body was phenomenal and so masculine it seemed unreal. She wanted him so badly that even having him between her legs and tangled up in her own body didn't feel like enough. 

She raised up her hips and wrapped her legs around him, the delicious increase of friction between them making her shudder. "God Logan..." she breathed. He pulled her towards him, and suddenly Marie felt herself being lifted off the bed, her legs still wrapped tightly around Logan's waist and him still buried inside her. He pressed her against the wall and thrust in to her with increasing speed. She kissed his shoulder and neck and felt the sensations inside her intensify, the build up alone was making her dizzy. "Logan, please!" She begged breathily. With a few more thrusts she was there again and felt the waves of scorching delicious pleasure erupt from her core. In moments he joined her, growling her name through gritted teeth. 

Without quite registering how Marie soon found herself back in their bed, exhausted but feeling more alive and real than she had in years. As Logan pulled her in to his body Marie smiled in contentment. "Logan?" She drawled softly. "Yeah?" He grumbled. He draped his arm over her waist and chest and she languidly caressed it. "Thanks." She whispered with a sly smile on her lips. He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "My pleasure babe." 

Marie fell asleep completely naked, soft and warm against his body. He couldn't believe his ears. She'd thanked him?! No, he was the one who should be thankful. Marie was the only good thing the universe had thrown at him since he could remember, he was the thankful one. Damn thankful.


	9. Time is Running Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for chapter 9!

Even Toronto wasn't as far as Logan had wanted it to be. By the end of the second day they were getting too close it for comfort. Maybe it was worth stopping somewhere at the edge of the city once they got there and wait until morning so Marie would have more time to look for somewhere new to settle or a new place to work. He could help. His hands gripped the steering wheel just a little too tight as his mind reeled to a new direction. Maybe he could stay for a few days. Or years. Chuck would get on fine without him, there was no hurry. Logan grimaced inwardly, he wanted to believe his own lies more than anything, but every moment they had together was just delaying the inevitable. 

She'd been quiet all day. After last night she didn't know what to say, it had all been so... perfect. He'd been so tender, but so thorough at the same time. She'd asked for everything and he'd delivered, every touch and kiss had made her skin tingle with an intensity she'd never felt before. If she'd been the driver they would've pulled over at any opportunity somewhere secluded and she'd have convinced him to have his way with her again. His hands all over her body had felt better than she could've imagined, it felt more like a fantasy than a reality. But it had been real, so incredibly real and she felt the burning need for him deep within her bones. 

"Hey Logan?" She asked him, interrupting the hours long silence that had existed between them in the truck. "Yeah?" He glanced at her before trying to keep both eyes on the road. "Could we stop somewhere soon sugar? I'm getting a bit hungry." He nodded, her suggestion sounded good. 

It wasn't anywhere fancy, just a basic old diner but the sign said they had burgers, pies and fries, which Logan thought would be enough to keep both of them from going hungry. He pulled over, the parking lot was fairly empty so at least they'd get served quick he hoped. Marie jumped out of the truck and quickly pulled her gloves on and made sure most of her bare skin was hidden away. Logan was confused.

"I thought you... I thought you wouldn't need to do that anymore." He furrowed his brow. Marie blushed. "I think it might only be like that with you." She'd thought about it in the truck for a long time. This had happened only once before, but it had never been so completely safe with someone as it was with Logan. With anyone else, they were more than likely to get zapped. He cocked an eyebrow in surprise. "Huh." 

He didn't know what to say. There were no words that could do his feelings justice. It might only be like this with him, the man who more often than not inspired fear in people who saw his true character and who was volatile, mercenary and lethal by nature. Everyone he'd ever loved had run from him or been killed because of him, but of course Marie wouldn't know that. For whatever reason she trusted him and that trust manifested itself in the possibility that he might be the only person on this planet who could touch her, the only person she could touch. She was all his, and only his. The thought was sudden, uncensored and quickly banished. It was best to not think of it, not now. 

Breakfast was a quiet affair and a few stacks of pancakes and a big cup of bad coffee later Marie and Logan were back on the road. They hadn't spoken for hours, but she'd taken her gloves off again in the truck and somehow just that small action had made him happy. "Logan?" Her voice snapped him out of the dangerous zone of daydreams. "You feeling alright?" She chuckled. "I'm fine sugar, just pull over for a minute." At the next opportunity he pulled over in to a lay by and Marie smiled. 

Logan was confused. What the heck was she up to? Marie reached out for his hand and gave it a squeeze. "I'm sorry I haven't said anything about last night. I just, didn't know what to say." Damn she was sweet when she was being all shy and nervous. "It's alright." And it was. She didn't need to say anything if she didn't want--

Marie leaned in and pressed her lips against his in a firm, deep kiss. "Marie..." he growled softly as she pulled away. She said nothing, just smiled again, this time in a slightly wicked way. "We should get going sugar." She was right of course, they couldn't spend the day sitting in a lay by making out with each other. They had places to go, and Toronto was still enough miles away that he had to burn some rubber to get her there as soon as he could. 

They arrived on the outskirts of town late at night, there was no point in trying to just drop her off somewhere. She needed a good nights sleep he told himself. They checked in to another motel, being careful not to attract attention. This time Marie still wore a cap to cover up her hair, but she'd taken off the long gloves and took her coat off in the lobby as they were checking in. No one could say she didn't look just like any other young woman checking in to a motel with her... somebody. Once in the room she threw her coat on the floor and began unlacing her boots. She didn't want this night to be their last but she knew it had to be. She couldn't risk putting him in harms way for her own sake no matter how indestructible he was and Logan very likely had his own life to get back to. He wasn't her bodyguard, she shouldn't have started to rely on him for safety and security, but there was something about his presence that she couldn't shake. Tonight she would feel all of that for the last time, it would be better that way for both of them. 

She stood in the middle of the room in her jeans and tank top, arms bare and hair tumbling down her back messy and thick. Logan stood in the doorway and took it all in. God damn, she was awe inspiring. After hours in a truck she still managed to look that good. He didn't have any expectations of her, but he couldn't help but have hope after what'd happened in the truck. That kiss had come out of nowhere and he'd done nothing to instigate it, that was all Marie. He closed the door with a thud and she turned around with a jolt. "Sorry kid, it's only me." He slipped off his coat and threw it on the arm chair, forming a pile with hers. Something was making her excited, maybe nervous even, he could tell she wasn't her usual collected self. "You okay Marie?" 

Logan had stepped closer, and placed a hand on both her shoulders. Fuck. This was going to be harder than she though. With determination Marie looked up at him and a sly smile crept on to her lips. "I'm fine sugar." Almost subconsciously she melded in to him, his hands sliding behind her back and hers dipping in to his thick hair. Her lips parted and she surrendered herself to their kiss allowing his tongue to explore her mouth. A low reverberating growl escaped from Logan's throat as he concentrated moving his lips down to her neck and Marie threw her head back with a moan. Jesus he was good at this. He guided her to the bed, all the while kissing and nipping and licking her skin, his mouth eagerly exploring every inch of exposed flesh on her body. Every small reaction she had to his touch spurred him on and he couldn't hold back. Not tonight. 

With a feverish urgency, he released a claw from right hand and expertly sliced the straps and side seams of her top open. With another quick succession of movements her bra was in pieces and expertly discarded. Marie gasped at the cold steel on her body and despite the danger she found it thrilling. She knew he'd never hurt her and the contrast of the cold steel and the heat of his touch and mouth on her skin was delicious. The pain in his hand was worth it, her soft creamy skin was heavenly and Logan lowered his mouth on her nipple. She moaned so beautifully, he wanted to hear it again. 

"Mmmm.... sugar, I need you..." she whispered, her hands sliding down to undo her jeans. Logan grinned. In moments Marie found herself completely nude, with Logan between her legs. His mouth worked its way down her inner thighs, kissing and softly nipping her sensitive skin until finally she could feel his warm tongue licking and circling her sensitive core. 

A wave of heat rushed over her body and Marie gasped. He must've had a lot of practice. "Sugar, I don't think it's fair that I'm the only one lying here naked." The southern drawl in her voice more apparent than usual. Logan ran his hands over her body and felt every dip and peak of her torso under his fingertips. "I can fix that in no time." Marie helped, her quick fingers unbuttoning, unzipping and peeling off every item of clothing she could get her hands on. 

Every touch of his hands, every moment of his body against hers was carefully memorised by Marie. The way he made her moan and gasp, the way he huskily whispered her name in the darkness were put away securely so that in her dark hours of loneliness, she could remember all of it and know that at least one person on this planet had made her feel. As the morning grew nearer, Marie wanted to scream. How could the world be so cruel as to give her Logan only to lose him within days of their first encounter? But they'd kill him, they'd hunt him down just like they'd been hunting her and she couldn't let that happen. He'd be just as valuable of a target, maybe more so and the risk of letting them take him just wasn't worth it. It was better to keep moving. Alone. 

He fell asleep holding her body against his own, but Marie slipped out of his arms with ease. Moving quietly around the room, she gathered her things barely being brave enough to breathe. Her tank top and bra were destroyed, it was only fair to steal his shirt as compensation. The note she'd already written was in her coat pocket and with a heavy heart she placed it on the pillow. Opening the door would normally have woken him up, but Marie knew how to stay quiet when she needed to. A life in the shadows and some accidentally acquired skills from an ex-marine had left her with a surprising skill set for skulking around. Within minutes she was out of the room and already on the road. She disappeared in to the darkness, praying he wouldn't try to track her down.


	10. Please Forgive Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I can not tell you how very sorry I am to keep you waiting so long between updates! I've had a very tough summer so far with health problems and other personal issues, so I wasn't able to keep on proofreading and editing at the rate that I wanted to. I hope you don't hold it against me too much and I hope you enjoy the next chapter, I will update again as soon as I can!

Logan slept restlessly. Somewhere in the back of his mind he'd heard a noise in the night, a soft click, which had infiltrated his dreams and brought back the nightmares of being fastened down and lowered in to the water. So much water, followed by the searing white hot pain and the all-consuming sudden terror of drowning and death. 

He woke with a jolt, cold sweat covering his brow and a guttural scream still escaping from his lips. Marie's scent lingered in the air and he breathed it in calming down slightly. The nightmares were just that. Nightmares. Even after tracking down the vague details of his past, the images and sensations wouldn't leave him alone and in the depth of the pitch black winter nights it was hard to believe that they weren't real. 

He reached for Marie, but realised almost instantly that she wasn't in the bed. Her sliced up clothes were on the floor next to him, hence her strong scent but Marie was nowhere to be seen or heard. "Marie?" He knocked on the bathroom door and threw it open after a moment of silence. Empty. 

God damn it Logan! He cursed himself. Her things were gone. She was gone. He couldn't smell anyone else's presence in the room, and it was highly unlikely anyone could've taken her from under his nose like that. His eyes scanned the room and finally settled on the bed, where he saw a folded piece of paper sitting on the pillow he hadn't used. His chest tightened. 

"Logan, please don't hate me for this. I’m running from people who are more dangerous than you can imagine, and I won’t have you risk your life for me. I’m sorry I ever dragged you in to this. Thanks for your help with everything and thanks for the memories, don't forget me. Marie."

He wanted to yell, to slice up everything in the room, to release his pain on to the world like a tidal wave of pure and merciless destruction. He was angry, but not at her. His anger was reserved only for himself and for the twisted sense of humour the universe seemed to have. He released his claws, and gave in to his primal urge to destroy something. The pillows and mattress didn't survive the altercation. 

How could he not have managed to convince her he'd keep her safe? She was better off with him, not alone, not this time. The people after her would find her and do fuck knows what to her, but it wouldn't be nice. And she'd have to keep on running from town to town to avoid them, but they'd never give up. Why on earth had she left? The truck was still in the parking lot and Logan surmised that she must've stolen one of the other cars there. Where had she gone? Where could he start looking for her? In minutes he was on the road with no clear plan and only one thought in his mind. He had to find Marie. To add salt to his wounds, the weather wasn’t on his side. A fresh dusting of snow had covered any sign of tire tracks and more bad weather was on the way. This wasn’t going to be easy. 

****

Marie drove in to the night, blinking away her tears. The car she'd stolen was a standard jeep, nothing fancy, easy to blend in with. After the first hundred miles she'd swap it for something else. It would be safer that way in case Logan figured out which car she'd taken. His shirt on her skin gave her at least some comfort. It still smelled like him, and Marie swallowed a sob. She couldn't go back or they'd both be in trouble. She kept driving and hoping. Surely North America as a whole was big enough to get lost in?

****

Logan was aggravated. He was good at tracking people down, he'd done it plenty of times before, but after three weeks of following lead after lead and still turning up empty handed he was at the end of his rope. It's like she'd fallen off the edge of the world that night and every day he was becoming more and more worried. What if something had already happened? She could already be in trouble. Chuck and the X-geeks would have to wait, no matter how long this would take he would look for her. He'd thought of asking for help, Charles could find her much faster but at the same time Logan had a feeling Marie would be beyond angry to find that he'd involved someone else in her business. Where the fuck had she gone? 

His latest lead had led him here, a dive bar hardly better than a truck stop in northern Wyoming. Someone had seen someone, a girl hanging around the bar who always wore long gloves. It could be anyone, but Logan was hoping for a miracle. 

The minute he entered the bar he inhaled deeply through his nose. Somewhere in the middle of the sweat, cheap perfume and stale beer there was a scent he recognised. Fresh pine trees, sandalwood and vanilla. The first clear indicator that he was actually getting closer to her. But her scent was weak, it seemed likely that she'd been there hours ago and there was know knowing where she'd gone next or with whom. His senses were on high alert and he was keenly aware that a few people were glaring at his general direction. Not caring, Logan made his way to the bar. He needed intel and bartenders where usually the most forthcoming with it. "What can I get you?" 

The bartender was exactly what you'd expect in a place like this. A white man in his fifties with too many inches around his waist and too many bad tattoos on his arms. "Bottle of bud'll do." There was no need to jump in to interrogation, it would just make the man less likely to answer any questions. He placed a fifty dollar bill on the counter, keeping a finger on it. "You got anything smaller? Ain't got a lotta change tonight." Logan shook his head. "I've got a few questions for you though, and if I like the answer you can keep the change." The bartender cocked his eyebrow. "Fire away." 

"I'm looking for someone. Young woman, about five eight, wears long gloves and a long coat, combat boots. Real pretty. Ring a bell?" Logan asked, trying to leave her most distinct features until last. "We get a few ladies in every now and again mister, can't say for sure--" Logan interrupted the man bluntly. "She's got long auburn hair with a white stripe, probably trying to hitch a ride outta here, she's not from around these parts." He took a swig from the beer bottle and waited patiently, putting another fifty on the counter. That seemed to jog the mans memory. "Well yeah, I mean I guess we had someone in earlier this week, day before yesterday maybe? She met a friend here, some military looking guy, went out back with her." Logan resisted the urge to break something. No one should be taking Marie "out back" to do anything with her. 

He stood up instantly, grunting a thanks on his way out and made his way in to the back alley. Her scent was still lingering in the air and he was frustrated at himself for not being able to make it out sooner. What he found wasn't pretty. It was obvious there's been a fight, the signs of a scuffle were apparent in the snow, but what enraged him more was the blood. The red drops were distinct even in the dim light and he knelt down to get a better sense of what'd happened. From the smell of it he knew it was Marie's, someone had hurt her. He popped his claws and growled. Damn it! He should've been there sooner. She could've been hurt bad, and fuck knows where she'd ended up. Taking a breath and calming his nerves, he followed the drops of blood which to his surprise lead away from the parking lot. 

****

Marie woke up unsure of whether it was day or night. Where was she? The darkness around her was almost complete and she could barely even make out the shape of her own hands and feet let alone anything about her surroundings. God it was cold. She drew the flannel shirt closer around her shivering body. It didn't smell like him anymore but if she tried hard enough she could still remember his scent. Those days in the cabin, their first kiss at the motel and his hands on her body that final night were the things she treasured most. 

Marie closed her eyes. She was going to die here, she could feel it. She tried to piece together the disjointed memories in her mind like a shattered jigsaw and slowly a hazy image emerged. Somewhere in Canada, or no, maybe south of the border. There had been a bar, something in her drink... but she hadn't given up without a fight. The snow had been stained with blood, she'd fought harder than ever before. Especially after touching one of them. Oh god no. They were going to-- she wanted to retch. The plan was twisted and sick, and she couldn't stop them now. Somewhere outside the box they'd put her in was a lab table with her name on it. They were going to paralyse her, keep her alive and harvest her blood, bit by bit. And that would be the least painful part. Experiments, on her and countless other mutants. Surgeries, blood tests, injections... 

Marie crawled in to a corner and closed her eyes. She'd die here, her only hope was that it would be sooner rather than later. She didn’t know how long it had already been, maybe just a few hours she hoped. But then, she felt so tired. So hungry. It could’ve been days, maybe more? Something or someone was messing with her mind. But it all felt so confusing… 

She fought off the urge to doze off again, and tried counting the seconds. There was no daylight here. Memories of blood and guts and fighting and torture tore through her mind like a burning blade and the more she tried to fight them off the stronger they became. Memories of people screaming, of someone hitting her… She didn’t even know who they belonged to, but she knew they weren’t hers. Remy? Logan? Complete strangers whose names she only knew because she’d absorbed so much of them by accident? 

She huddled against the cold wall and cried. How long had it already been? Months? What time was it? Logan… She never should’ve left Logan…

***

Logan headed towards the tree line following her scent. Every step was taking him closer to Marie, and the possibility of being able to help her, to find her and to keep her from being harmed felt almost tangible. But despite following her scent and the multiple tracks left behind by multiple pairs of military boots Marie was nowhere to be found. Instead the white snow was marred by blood spatter and Logan quickly realised none of it belonged to Marie. The relief was immediate, but he had no time to revel in it. Marie was still in danger. The source of the blood spatter was lying in the snow face down. The all black jumpsuit, bulletproof vest and laced up military boots made Logan's blood run cold, and he stopped for a moment, standing next to the lifeless body. There was a stab wound in the mans arm and his neck had been cut open, she hadn't gone down without a fight. Dreading what he knew he would find, Logan rolled the cold corpse over and groaned at the sight of the all too familiar badge. The logo was one he knew too well. This man was one of Strykers.

He sunk his claws deep in to the stiff flesh of the man despite knowing he was already dead. He wanted to disembowel the military man, to tear him limb from limb. Stryker. His Marie was in the hands of the most ruthless, most vile and most cruel man Logan knew of. The weapon X programme had all but annihilated any shred of his humanity and former identity and Logan dreaded to think what they'd do Marie. They'd taken her, but where? 

In that moment his cell phone rang. For once he was happy to pick up. "Hey Chuck, nice of you to call the traditional way." He quipped out of habit. "Logan, good to hear you haven't changed your charming sense of humour. We have an urgent mission and we need your help." Professor Xavier explained. "Look professor, I have a mission of my own that I need your help with, a young woman's been kidnapped and I--" "I understand but this is more important than you realise. A young woman with an aggressive mutation has been kidnapped and taken to a paramilitary testing facility, we must rescue her and any other mutants held there before it's too late. We have every reason to suspect Stryker’s involvement in the programme and you know what that means. We need all the help we can get.” The professor explained as quickly as he could. Logan furrowed his brow. "Chuck, I think we're talking about the same thing here." 

"That may very well be. Stay where you are, the blackbird is already on its way and Scott will brief you on the situation as soon as they've collected you. There's not a moment to waste!"


	11. Twisted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one night! Lucky you :P ! This is another fairly short one and from this point onwards the story gets a bit foggy. What do you think should happen next? Any feedback is welcome!

Marie woke up in pain. Her body ached from the inside out and a hot consisted pain radiated from her bones with an intensity that made her want to cry. She was lying on a solid cold surface, something metallic and uncomfortable. She tried to open her eyes but the world around her was a blur and her eyelids were too heavy to move. Very slowly, she tried again. It occurred to her that the blurring of her surroundings wasn't just to do with disorientation. Squeaking wheels and a sudden wobble of the surface beneath her told her as much. She was being moved, but couldn't tell where or why. 

Images rushed to her mind and she succumbed to them despite attempting to resist them. There had been a fight, bullets had been fired in an alleyway somewhere and she'd tried to run. She hadn't gone down without a fight and resorted to using every trick up her sleeve to free herself but there were too many men. One of the men had been careless, it had been easy to slide a hand on to his neck in the heat of the scuffle without anyone noticing until it was too late. He hadn't been a very nice person, but he had a girlfriend of sorts and he missed her. He didn't want to die, but then again neither did Marie. Now it was too late. She knew their plan and she would die, but not before they got what they needed. She was a part of a programme now, they needed her to cultivate a new government weapon but they would use her against her own kind. If she survived the process. 

Marie tried to move but her body was so heavy, what had they done to her? Blood. That's right. How many times had she already gone through this? She didn’t know, but she was sure she’d been in the facility for some months. She’d lost a lot of blood this time. She felt woozy and her head was heavy, somewhere there were noises loud enough to penetrate her consciousness, it sounded like the world was crashing down around her. Good. Maybe the world was ending and maybe the end of it would be the end of her suffering. Why was there a bright beam of light in the room? She murmured for someone to turn it off, it was hurting her head and making her eyes sting. The floor seemed to be shaking with a force she couldn't identify, maybe this was all the result of an earthquake. 

A voice from somewhere far, or was it nearby, was calling out her name. It was so familiar, but utterly impossible. Marie knew she was dying, maybe the pain and blood loss and isolation had made her daydreams turned in to hallucinations. It didn't really matter. She was just happy to see his face one last time before the end of it all. 

****

The lab looked like an apocalyptic mess. Marie wasn't the only one being held in the facility but she was the only one Logan really cared about. She deserved to survive, to have a good life. She didn't deserve to end her life being some sick psychopaths science experiment. The thought made him tear the soldiers to shreds. He didn't give a fuck about them having families or being people too. No, they were all a part of a sick, twisted and torturous initiative to end his kind for good and more importantly to use Marie as their weapon. He shoved his claws knuckle deep in to chests, sliced open their necks and gutted the unluckiest ones. Today there would be no mercy. These people didn't deserve any. 

In the middle of an operating theatre stood a lone gurney, with a lifeless female strapped to it. The fuckers hadn't even bothered to cover her up right. He cried out. "Marie, Marie, baby it's okay. We're gonna get you outta here." He could've sworn she tried to smile just then. She looked so weak, so helpless. He cut off the straps fastening her ankles and wrists to the table and pulled her body to his chest. She was so cold, he could feel the arctic temperature of her skin even through his uniform. She'd better be alright, he thought in desperation. 

"Wolverine!" Scott appeared at his side. "Is this--" He didn't get to finish the question. "It's her. I've got her, we need to go." Logan bundled her up and easily lifted her in to his arms. "Jean and Storm have the others, we need to run. This place is about to blow any minute!" Logan nodded. Scott might be many things but he was a conscientious and efficient leader. 

With barely a minute to spare, the X-men and their rescued cargo watched the collapse of the lab facility from the safety of the blackbird. Logan didn't care. All he cared about was the bundle in his arms. Jean and Ororo grabbed blankets and Logan had covered up Marie but refused to let her be anywhere but in her arms. She was breathing, but barely and she hadn't woken up since he'd found her. He was buckled in to his seat, and held her body flush against his own. She felt so small and fragile. 

"Logan, be careful." Jean laid a hand on his shoulder before taking her own seat. "Her powers..." "I know what they do Jean." He retorted more sharply than he'd meant. "We need to get her to the lab where I can do some tests, we have no idea what she's been through." He looked at her darkly. "I do." The flame haired beauty turned around in silence and Logan continued to gently stroke the dark auburn hair tumbling over the blanket they'd wrapped his Marie in. 

****

Marie blinked. Her body was still hurting from all over, and the bright lights were disturbingly shiny. Somehow she'd always imagined heavens light to be more of a soft glow and most certainly less fluorescent. She blinked, but it was too much. Too bright. She groaned in pain. Surely the pain should be over by now? Was there no relief, even in death? Then the buzzing started. Voices, new ones and old, all at once like a cacophonous swarm of bees, steadily growing louder and louder. She grimaced. This was not going to be fun.

One voice permeated her mind above all the rest and she winced. This was not a consciousness she wanted to let out of its box too frequently, she’d never absorbed enough of him to keep him in her mind permanently. "Marie? Stay still. Just lie down." Logan sounded so worried. She didn't want to open her eyes, he sounded so real, so close. It would be devastating to again discover he wasn't really there after all. 

Suddenly there it was, a warm heavy hand, gently resting on her shoulder. Marie gasped, letting out an indescribable noise of distress and astonishment. She shirked away from the touch, scooting away from the comforting presence and only then did she feel brave enough to look. 

Logan frowned and pulled his hand back. What a fucking genius he was. He hadn't meant to frighten her. She must be so terrified, and all he wanted was for her to know she wasn't alone. He was here, he'd look after her. She was safe now. "Marie, kid, it's okay. I'm sorry---" she'd backed herself against the side of the wall and stared at her with those deep hazel eyes, still seemingly terrified. 

Marie couldn't stop staring. Was this real? Really real? The wall was cold to lean on, it made her shiver a little and she reached for the blanket. "Are you cold kid? I'll get them to turn the heating up in here or I can get you another blanket." The man stood up and Marie said a silent prayer. She blinked a few times and though the light made her squint, she saw him and the hope inside her began to grow. 

"Logan?" Her voice was hoarse and small and didn't sound anything like her own. If she hadn't known she'd opened her mouth, she would've sworn the question had come from a child. If this was a dream she knew she wouldn't survive waking up. "Logan?" She asked again, her voice still cracking under the pressure. 

He came back to her bedside and sat next to her. "It's okay Marie, you're safe now." For a moment she didn't feel anything. Her mind and body were numb from trying to manage the pain and fear, she wasn't even sure she could cry or scream anymore no matter what happened. But this she hadn't been prepared for. He'd gotten her out. He was real, and he'd found her. 

He didn't make a single move towards her, just sat there on the edge of the bed looking at her. He could smell the fear and anxiety coming off her like a constant radiation filled with pain. He clenched his fists and for god knows how many-eth a time, he wanted to skewer something. There was no knowing the details of what they'd done to her yet, or even how long they'd actually had her or managed to make her believe they'd had her. Even the strongest mind could break easily under the right kind of duress. He had no idea how much of her mind was her own, how many humans and mutants she might have absorbed in the lab or how much of her blood and DNA they'd taken within the time they'd had her. She was so quiet, so still. 

"You're safe. I promise. You try and rest, I'll be back soon." His words came out sounding strained, he had no idea what to say to her. And it felt like an easier option to just leave in case he was making her worse. He wanted to help so desperately but she seemed so lifeless, not that he blamed her.

"Logan?" It was the third time she'd said his name and this time there was a flash of something in her eyes. "You're really real?" Her voice was barely above a whisper and his heart felt like it was cracking in to pieces. "As real as they come kid." he confirmed.

He was wearing one of his all too familiar plaid shirts, and she was glad his skin was covered properly. She placed a nervous hand on his arm and scooted closer. He felt warm to her touch, and she let out a shaky sigh of relief. 

"I'm-- I don't--" her words failed her completely and she couldn't hold off the collapse any longer. Burying her face in her hands, she sat in the bed and sobbed. She sobbed from pain, from exhaustion and from the indescribable relief that she found herself in a seemingly normal bedroom with the one person whose memory and image she'd been trying to cling to in her desperation.

He didn't say anything. No words could make this better or easier to stomach. The only option left to him was the one thing he'd been desperate to do for days. He'd worn gloves just in case and with remarkable ease, he pulled her curled up body up to his and held her. Marie felt so tired but the tears wouldn't stop. "I'm so sorry..." she managed to whisper between sobs. "You have nothing to be sorry for. I should've found you sooner kid." His low, deep voice rumbled in his chest. 

Some minutes later, Marie pulled herself away from his body. Without a word she turned away from him and laid her head on the soft pillow. 

"Where are we?" She asked almost absentmindedly. 

"A school. Sort of. It's a safe place for people like us." He struggled to find the words to describe the institute.

"School? Huh." she smiled a little and it made his heart swell. 

"Get some rest, I'll come check on you soon." Marie shot up and shook her head. "Don't go!" She pleaded. 

He couldn't deny her a damn thing, not now and probably not ever. Careful to keep a safe distance he decided to camp in the arm chair which he'd pulled up near the bed. After turning off the lights he tried to get comfortable in the chair with little success. She reached out for his gloved hand and squeezed it. "Don't go." 

He didn't. 

The night was long and he couldn't sleep. Logan lit a cigar, which glowed dimly in the darkness of the room. Marie was breathing calmly, her small form curled up under the covers as if she was hiding. From what he'd seen it was easy to piece together that she'd been through something awful and it made him beyond angry. How anyone could possibly harm her and think they'd get away with it was beyond him, and he'd proven them all wrong. He'd spilled guts on the lab floor, skewered the guards silently and swiftly. They had only been doing their jobs but that was no excuse for the experiments that had gone on in that place. It had been a kill or be killed situation, and Marie had needed his help. 

The smoke from the cigar filled his lungs and calmed him down. He didn't want to think about what they might've done to her. It was better to just focus on what was there right in front of him. 

With a surprising and sudden force Marie's body shot up in the bed. In an instant he was by her side crouching near her bedside. "Shhhh... you're alright Marie." He spoke gently and without touching her.

She eyed him suspiciously, barely awake and utterly confused. He smelled, looked and sounded real enough. In her confused mind she couldn’t bother pretending, it just wasn’t worth the effort. She felt so scared even now. Shyly, she shuffled over in the bed, creating a space next to her. 

”Get in here already." she said, her voice barely a whisper.

She turned to her side ready to go back to sleep. Logan put out the cigar and kicked off his boots.staying over the covers, he draped an arm across her body but kept his distance. There was no knowing how close she'd feel comfortable with. Marie solved the conundrum for him by backing up against his body with a slight shuffle. 

“Hey Logan?” she murmured groggily. “It was so many months ago… Thanks for not forgetting.” she mumbled groggily.

It took a moment for her words to sink in. Months? Toronto was barely a month ago. According to his maths she couldn’t have been at the lab for longer than three or four days. What had they done to make her so confused?

“Don’t worry about that baby. Don’t worry about anything.”

Neither of them said anything, it wasn't necessary. For the first time in weeks, they both drifted in to sleep peacefully without discomfort or fear and Marie took solace in feeling the weight of his arm around her body.


End file.
